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posted by martyb on Tuesday October 31 2017, @11:34PM   Printer-friendly
from the Be-still-my-beating-heart!-Oh?-Wait... dept.

Trick or Treat: Don't Eat Too Much Black Licorice on Halloween, Warns FDA

It's that time of year again when ghoulish children turn up at your door, demanding payment in candy or threatening a sinister trick instead. But if you're keeping a bowl of sweets on stand-by, you might want to leave out the black licorice.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning ahead of Halloween—which it describes as the "biggest candy eating holiday of the year"—urging people not to overdo it on the medicinal-tasting candy or potentially face heart problems.

The problem is caused by glycyrrhizin—a sweetening compound derived from the root of licorice, a low-growing shrub that is found most in Greece, Turkey and Asia. When consumed in large amounts, glycyrrhizin can prompt potassium levels in the body to fall. Low potassium can lead to a variety of health issues, particularly abnormal heart rhythms, but also high blood pressure, swelling, lethargy, and even congestive heart failure.

The FDA warned that, for people 40 years old or over, eating two ounces of black licorice a day for two weeks can result in arrhythmia, or irregular heart rhythm. Potassium levels usually return to normal with no permanent health problems when a person stops eating it, according to the FDA's Linda Katz.

🎃💊 → 💀

Also at Business Insider.


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  • (Score: 2) by lx on Wednesday November 01 2017, @06:43AM (3 children)

    by lx (1915) on Wednesday November 01 2017, @06:43AM (#590419)

    Personally I class donuts among inedible things. They taste horrible. Too sweet and too fat.

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  • (Score: 2) by takyon on Wednesday November 01 2017, @06:54AM

    by takyon (881) <reversethis-{gro ... s} {ta} {noykat}> on Wednesday November 01 2017, @06:54AM (#590423) Journal

    I could eat a whole dozen right now. But that is irresponsible.

    It is better to add a little prep time and make a bacon cheeseburger sandwiched between two glazed donuts. Now that is some good eatin'.

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  • (Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Wednesday November 01 2017, @12:30PM

    by Phoenix666 (552) on Wednesday November 01 2017, @12:30PM (#590523) Journal

    You might be eating the wrong kind. Dunkin Donuts and Krispy Kreme are the wrong kind. Beignets in New Orleans, which are made fresh in front of you, or gourmet donuts like you can find in some cities, are worth eating. But now that you mention it I don't really think of those as donuts, either, but more as pastries.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 01 2017, @10:04PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 01 2017, @10:04PM (#590787)

    Go with old fashioned donuts, more cake and body to 'em.