(CNN) — It is difficult to exercise moderation when eating sweets. For licorice lovers, indulging in moderation could save their lives.
A study published Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine states that a 54-year-old man died as a result of eating too much licorice.
The man, a Massachusetts construction worker, lost consciousness inside a fast food restaurant and was taken to a hospital, where he died the next day.
Doctors wrote that he had “a poor diet, consisting mainly of several packets of sweets a day.”
Three weeks earlier, she had gone from eating fruit-flavored soft drinks to licorice candy, which contained glycyrrhizic acid.
CNN has reached out to Dr. Elazer Edelman, one of the study’s authors, and is waiting for a response.
Glycyrrhizic acid, or glycyrrhizin, a sweetening compound derived from licorice root, can cause a decrease in potassium levels in the body.
This in turn can cause high blood pressure, bloating, abnormal heart rhythms and even heart failure, according to the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
People 40 and older should be especially vigilant about consuming black licorice.
Even 2 ounces per day, over a two-week period, could cause an irregular heartbeat and may require hospitalization, the FDA warns.
The negative effects of eating too much licorice are reversible and diminish when consumption is discontinued.
The return to normal potassium levels can take one to two weeks, according to the study.
Luckily, there are safe alternatives. According to the National Institutes of Health, many licorice products available in the US do not actually contain licorice, but rather anise oil, which has a comparable flavor.
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