3. Lethal licorice
We often hear on the news about someone dying from a drug overdose, but a licorice overdose didn’t pop into our heads. Well, it did happen last year. In large doses, black licorice can be extremely toxic. Sadly, a 54-year-old man from Massachusetts died after consuming way too much of it.
After experiencing heart rhythm issues, he lost his consciousness, as stated by the case’s report, published in The New England Journal of Medicine on September 23, 2020. According to his family, the man had poor eating habits, and he used to consume even two large packages of black licorice per day.
He lost the battle despite the doctors’ efforts to save him. What doctors concluded is that the main compound found in black licorice, namely, glycyrrhizin, is responsible for lowering the body’s potassium levels. As a result, abnormal heart rhythms and high blood pressure can occur.
For people over 40, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suggests that eating just 2 ounces of black licorice per day for about two weeks can lead to heart rhythm problems.
