Licorice is produced from the roots of plants. daylily The seeds have been used in herbal remedies and as a fragrance since ancient times. However, eating licorice is also known to increase blood pressure. This is primarily due to a substance called glycyrrhizic acid, which affects kidney enzymes and affects the body’s fluid balance. High blood pressure, in turn, increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.

The European Union and the World Health Organization have both concluded that 100 mg of glycyrrhizic acid per day is probably safe for most people. However, some people eat more licorice than that. The Swedish Food Agency estimates that 5% of Swedes have an intake above this level.

In the current study, of American Journal of Clinical Nutritionresearchers at Linköping University wanted to test whether restrictions that were said to be likely to be safe were actually safe.

It’s not easy to know how much glycyrrhizic acid is in the licorice you eat, as the concentration of glycyrrhizic acid varies widely between different licorice products. This variation can depend on factors such as origin, storage conditions, and type of licorice root. Additionally, there are many products that do not display the amount of glycyrrhizic acid. The Linköping University study is the first to include a randomized control group and carefully measure the amount of glycyrrhizic acid in the licorice plants tested.

In this study, 28 women and men between the ages of 18 and 30 were asked to eat licorice or a control product without licorice over two time periods. The control product instead contained salmiak, which imparts a salty licorice flavor. The licorice weighed 3.3 grams and contained 100 mg of glycyrrhizic acid. This is the amount that is considered safe for most people to eat every day. Participants were randomly assigned to eat either the liquorice or control variety for two weeks, take a two-week break, and then eat the other variety for two weeks. This allowed the researchers to compare the effects of both varieties in the same person. Study participants were asked to measure their blood pressure at home every day. At the end of each intake period, the researchers measured levels of various hormones, salt balance, and heart work.

“This study found that daily consumption of licorice containing 100 mg of glycyrrhizic acid increased blood pressure in healthy young people. This has never been shown before with such small amounts of licorice. “, says Peder af Geijerstam, a doctoral student at the institute. Department of Health, Medicine and Care Sciences, Linköping University, General Practitioner and first author of this study.

When participants ate licorice, their blood pressure increased by an average of 3.1 mmHg. The researchers also measured renin and aldosterone, two hormones affected by licorice that regulate body fluid balance. Eating licorice reduced both of these levels. Based on the levels of the hormones renin and aldosterone, which decrease most after eating licorice, the one-quarter of study participants who were most susceptible also slightly gained weight, probably due to an increase in the amount of water in their bodies. did. This group also had elevated levels of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), a protein that is secreted more when the heart has to work harder to pump blood around the body. This suggests that body fluid volume and cardiac workload are increased in those most susceptible to the effects of licorice.

“These results give us reason to be more cautious when recommending and labeling foods containing licorice,” says Professor Fredrik Nyström, who led the study.

This research was supported by the Strategic Research Network in Circulation and Metabolism (LiU-CircM) at Linköping University, the National School of General Practice Research at Umeå University, the King Gustav V and Queen Victoria Masonic Foundation and the Region of Östergötland, among others. Funded by. .