fatal health consequences.
“How?” Well, relax. We’ll tell you.
An enormous amount of your beloved licorice candy can affect the hormone aldosterone dispensed by the adrenal gland. This can be damaging as this aldosterone is crucial in achieving fluid equilibrium in your body. Such equilibrium is attained by instructing the kidney to soak in more sodium. Here is the interesting–but alarming–part. Sodium plays a critical role in fluid retention. So, in circumstances of increased sodium retention, fluid retention pumps up proportionately.
Consequently, your potassium levels will fall with a hike in the amount of aldosterone being released. This is because aldosterone regulates the potassium content that is passed in your urine. This is a condition called pseudo aldosteronism. Ultimately, this leads to high blood pressure. An increase in blood pressure would increase the strain on your lungs and heart.
This is a typical example of the saying “when it rains, it pours,” because the accompanying drop in potassium will trigger abnormalities or irregularities in your cardiac rhythms. Worse, such declining potassium levels can result in muscle weakness, even culminating in paralysis.
The reality moving forward
If you have been heavily consuming black licorice and are noticing an increase in your fluid retention capacity or a significant swell in your legs, see your doctor urgently, and terminate your romance with black licorice.
Research has abundantly pointed out the dangers of an excessive intake of black licorice. In 2012, researchers from Mercy Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago published a revealing review on Endocrinology and Metabolism. The report called upon healthcare providers to adequately educate their patients on reducing their black licorice consumption. The researchers also raised an alarm…