It is “much more powerful than previously thought,” the researchers said. They call for caution.
There Glycyrrhiza root has long been used as medicinal plant And aroma. Between 30 and 50 times sweeter than white sugar, it can change the levels of potassium and sodium in the body, which are believed to help regulate body fluids. Too much ingested can cause increased blood pressurea Water retentiona muscular weakness and heart rhythm abnormalities. According to the WHO, there is little risk of adverse effects if we do not exceed 100mg of glycyrrhizic acid per day (active principle of the root). But researchers have just demonstrated the opposite and are calling on consumers to be careful.
More powerful than previously thought
From the root of Glycyrrhiza is extracted the component of a candy that we like to eat soft or hard but which should not be abused since it can increase blood pressure. A study published in “The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition“, carried out by researchers at Linköping University, analyzed 28 topics aged between 18 and 30 years after they ate 3 grams of licorice (the famous candy) containing 100 mg of glycyrrhizic acid (GA) in an alternating manner. They randomly ingested either licorice or a control product (a flavoring called salmiak) for two weeks, then took a break of the same length before ingesting the other option. Participants were asked to measure their blood pressure daily. These data were added to blood samples analyzing in particular the concentration of sodium, potassium and creatinine. The results indicate that “licorice is more powerful than we thought, with a significant increase blood pressure (on average 3.1 mmHg), even when consuming only 100 mg of AG per day” announced the researchers. “This increase in blood pressure in healthy young people has never been demonstrated with such small quantities of licorice” commented Peder af Geijerstam, general practitioner and lead author of the study.
Responsible for “myocardial stress”
Consumption of licorice also has consequences on the concentration of renin (an enzyme) andaldosterone (a hormone) that together regulate blood pressure. Researchers found that they decreased in the blood following the ingestion of licorice to a quarter of the participants, more sensitive with glycyrrhizic acid. This group also presented high levels of a protein that the heart secretes more when it has to work harder to pump blood around the body called “natriuretic peptide”. There “release of natriuretic peptides (is a) sign of myocardial stress” note the researchers. The researchers hope that these results will encourage manufacturers to provide more information to consumers: “Our results encourage greater caution regarding recommendations and labeling of foods containing licorice.” says Fredrik Nyström, head of the study. In fact, it is not easy to know the quantity of glycyrrhizic acid present in licorice because it varies depending on its origin, its storage conditions and the type of root used.