[starkred]

I was surprised to see how clearly the FDA recommends against black licorice consumption.

https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/black-licoric...

> If you’re 40 or older, eating 2 ounces of black licorice a day for at least two weeks could land you in the hospital with an irregular heart rhythm or arrhythmia.

I love black licorice but as far as I'm concerned that's enough of a reason to do without. Just because the damage is visible after two weeks doesn't mean that it doesn't occur in quantities below that amount.

[tzs]

You almost certainly do not need to completely drop black licorice. From what the article you linked says, it doesn't sound like it directly damages the heart or the things that regulate heart rhythm.

The glycyrrhizin in black licorice lowers potassium levels, and heart rhythm regulation depends on potassium levels. Stop eating glycyrrhizin, and the potassium levels come back to normal.

If you only eat black licorice occasionally, and limit your quantity then so that you do not get enough glycyrrhizin to lower potassium levels to where they actually cause anything bad to happen, you should be perfectly safe. As a precaution, next time you have occasion to have a blood test, get your doctor to include a potassium test. If that doesn't come back close to the low end of the normal range, an occasional bit of licorice should be fine.

If a potassium test isn't too expensive, it might be interesting to have another test shortly after you have consumed some licorice, to try to get an idea of how much it affects potassium for you.

I wonder if the potassium lowering effect of glycyrrhizin could be countered by eating the licorice with something else that is high in potassium. Eat a banana with your licorice, say. Or maybe take a potassium supplement on days you want to eat licorice?

[amyjess]

As someone who takes a considerable amount of a potassium-sparing diuretic every day for medical reasons, it just occurred to me that I might benefit from eating more licorice, as hyperkalemia is an actual risk of my meds.

[ars]

You should double check that theory with a specialist. Just in case.

[jskdvsksnb]

Is it Spiro?

[amyjess]

Yes it is.

[stan_rogers]

Twizzlers aren't exactly Pomfrey (Pontefract) cakes. You'd really need to go to town on them. On t'other hand, if you pick through Allsorts to avoid the more creamy ones (ugh), or actually dealing with Pomfrey cakes (or their other Nothern European relatives) you really have to watch it. But then, if you're doing 60-ish grams of any sweet daily, you might want to rethink your diet.

[01100011]

It also appears to lower your testosterone: https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/26/10/2962.1

I love licorice in all its forms but gave it up years ago. I always felt weird after drinking a cup of licorice tea.

[chestervonwinch]

> I always felt weird after drinking a cup of licorice tea.

Same. It's a shame because it's often added to some blends that I would otherwise enjoy and would not expect licorice root to be added.

[giantDinosaur]

2 ounces of liquorice per day seems like a lot, though. I'm sure a few grams is fine. Drinking ten cups of coffee a day for two weeks will likely cause similar issues, that doesn't mean one or two cups every day is harmful.

[Dylan16807]

> Just because the damage is visible after two weeks doesn't mean that it doesn't occur in quantities below that amount.

It's not like each dose does a certain amount of damage. If you don't cause an imbalance then it's harmless (as far as this mechanism goes).

[DVassallo]

Something can be harmless or even beneficial at one dose, and fatal at another dose.

People have died from drinking too much water. Or breathing too much oxygen.