Man dies after eating bag of licorice every day for a few weeks

[mysteryowl]

A Massachusetts construction worker’s love of black licorice wound up costing him his life. Eating a bag and a half every day for a few weeks threw his nutrients out of whack and caused the 54-year-old man’s heart to stop, doctors reported.

The problem is glycyrrhizic acid, found in black licorice and in many other foods and dietary supplements containing licorice root extract. It can cause dangerously low potassium and imbalances in other minerals, principally electrolytes.

Eating as little as 2 ounces of black licorice a day for two weeks could cause a heart rhythm problem, especially for people over the age of 40, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/sep/24/man-licorice-dies-massachusetts


Wow, what a thing to die from. Didn't he feel bad about a week into it?

[LakeArenal]

1. That old canard: Everything in moderation.

[PatSeg]

2. He might have felt bad,

but probably didn't equate it to the licorice, something he undoubtedly has eaten his entire life.

[mysteryowl]

3. Addictions can actually kill us.

[PatSeg]

12. And they often make us crave

that which is causing the problem.

[Nevilledog]

4. Now I'm craving salted licorice.

[bullimiami]

13. I tasted it only once. That was one time too many.

[Nevilledog]

16. The heavily salted is gross. I find the lightly salted very addictive.

[bullimiami]

17. I was given it by an English lady I worked with. Heavily salted would be an understatement.

[Nevilledog]

18. If you get the chance to try the lightly salted give it a go.

Just not too much.... it can kill you, apparently!

[Greybnk48]

5. As little as 2oz. a day can kill you if you have a little each day.

That's not uncommon. What a surprise!

[sl8]

6. How much glycyrrhizic acid in a liter of ouzo, sambuca, etc., I wonder? n/t

[Act_of_Reparation]

11. They all contain it.

Licorice has a compounding factor that makes it more risky than the aforementioned spirits: sodium.

[sl8]

14. Thank you. n/t

[mahatmakanejeeves]

7. On the bright side, he couldn't be beat at Scrabble. NT

[Zambero]

8. I love black licorice. However...

It sends my blood pressure, otherwise normal (unless orangesque horror scenes and sounds materialize on the tee vee) through the roof.

[Botany]

9. Death by Good and Plenty

[ooky]

10. I don't think I can finish even one piece of licorice much less a bag of it.

Not my favorite flavor.

[foo_fighter999]

15. That does it.

I think I need to go to a Trump rally and hand out free bags of licorice. Maybe with labels that say "This licorice kills libruls."

But that means I would have to go to a Trump rally. Ugh. Maybe I can just mail them instead?

[Sympthsical]

19. This has ChubbyEmu video written all over it

He’s a YouTube doctor who discusses ER cases caused by unusual things. Every video is really interesting.

https://www.youtube.com/c/ChubbyemuGames