Black licorice. You either love it – or you hate it. But one Western researcher is offering a reason to pass the next time you think about reaching for that black licorice jelly bean, twist or whip – your health.
Black licorice. You either love it – or you hate it. But one Western researcher is offering a reason to pass the next time you think about reaching for that black licorice jelly bean, twist or whip – your health.
Dr. Stan Van Uum, a professor in the divisions of Clinical Pharmacology and Endocrinology and Metabolism, warns that binge eating the popular confectionary can send your blood pressure soaring, as well as cause dramatically lower levels of potassium in the body, resulting in abnormal heart rhythms and even paralysis.
The problems are compounded, he continued, because most Canadian physicians don’t know to ask about it.
Hypertension (high blood pressure) is one of the most common problems encountered in the primary-care setting. Numerous secondary causes of hypertension exist and most are potentially reversible. The ability to screen and manage such causes may spare patients from prolonged medical therapy and complications.
Continue reading at University of Western Ontario.
Photo via University of Western Ontario.
