Q. I was alarmed to read that eating licorice can lead to high blood pressure, weakness, fatigue, loss of libido and mineral imbalance. Is this only true of black licorice? I eat a good deal of strawberry licorice (Twizzler’s). Besides the obvious excess sugar, are there any problems with this product?
A. You have nothing to worry about (except for the calories). The ingredient that can cause so many serious side effects is glycyrrhizin. This is the natural flavor found in black licorice, but it is absent from red “licorice.”
An occasional treat rarely causes people any trouble, but those who eat black licorice regularly can experience hormone imbalance and potassium loss. This is especially dangerous for those taking diuretics, prednisone or Lanoxin (digoxin).
8/21/17 redirected to: https://www.peoplespharmacy.com/articles/licorice-led-to-life-threatening-loss-of-potassium/
