black licorice.The man, 54, ultimately died because he ate a bag-and-a-half of licorice after work every day for several weeks, according to a case study published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The black licorice contained glycyrrhizic acid, a chemical that raises a person’s blood pressure and lowers their potassium levels, especially when consumed in large amounts.It was the man’s candy habit that killed him, according to Dr.
Neel Butala, a cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and author of the case study.“Even a small amount of licorice you eat can increase your blood pressure a little bit,” Butala told The Associated Press.