While licorice-induced hypertension is most likely going to be a problem with those at high risk (that is, those with underlying health conditions or already existing high blood pressure), doctors still caution that if eating licorice causes you to experience any kind of abnormal symptoms, you should call your doctor or go to the emergency room.Ī simpler solution? Try eating the jelly beans that don't taste of death. These conditions can lead to dangerous heart arrhythmias, fluid retention and congestive heart failure.Īvoiding copious quantities of licorice might be easy when saying no to treats or alcoholic beverages (think some Belgian beers or anisettes), but keep in mind that many herbal supplements and teas contain the stuff, too. Black licorice contains glycyrrhizin, which has been shown to cause high blood pressure and low potassium levels. To be fair: The black jelly beans weren't to blame as much as the licorice they're flavored with. When doctors became aware of his 50-black-jelly-beans-a-day habit, they cut him off from the treat - and his hypertension disappeared, and potassium levels stabilized. Turns out he'd recently begun snacking on a bag of black jelly beans every day - and continued to do so in the hospital. He'd been having stomach pains for three days, and vomiting and experiencing diarrhea on the previous day before he sought medical help. Don't believe us? Have a look at this curious case study filed in the journal of Postgraduate Medicine where doctors reported that a 51-year old man was hospitalized for both high blood pressure and low potassium levels.
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