An ANSES press release alerts consumers to the dangers of overconsumption of a sweet element present in liquorice.

In its candy form, licorice divides. Some love its taste and its coiled, black shape while others hate it. But what you may not know is that you are probably consuming licorice without knowing it.

Indeed, this root contains a component known as glycyrrhizine. However, the latter is known and used in the food industry because it has a strong sweetening power. It therefore replaces raw sugar in many pleasure products such as syrups, soft drinks, ice cream, chewing gum, etc.

However, consuming too much glycyrrhizin can cause serious side effects including in people with no medical history. This is what ANSES specifies in a recent press release shared on their official website.

Serious symptoms that can go as far as life-threatening

The agency conducted a nearly 10-year (between 2012 and 2021) investigation into poisonings. To better identify potential sources of risk, it analyzed the data collected by the poison control centers in France. And she discovered that over 10 years, 64 serious cases linked to liquorice had been recorded.

If the figure seems low, it is not to be taken lightly. Indeed, the cases identified called for poisonings that led to serious health concerns. Jumbled up, we find hypertension, too high a potassium level in the blood, dehydration or heart problems.

But the most worrying thing is that these symptoms can appear in healthy patients. Even worse : in some cases, the vital prognosis has been committed because of excessive consumption of liquorice. Moreover, over the 10 years of study, one death was recorded. The excess liquorice had caused serious liver complications in the patient concerned, which were fatal.

The dangers of licorice often overlooked by the general public

However, ANSES remains realistic in the face of this worrying observation. Apart from consulting the list of components of each food that we consume, it remains difficult to know if we are eating too much glycyrrhizin. However, the investigation also revealed that the sweet component of this root might be amplified by certain drugs.

ANSES therefore wants inform consumers to avoid further poisoning. She therefore recommends ingesting no more than 10 milligrams of glycyrrhizin per day. However, as this dosage can be difficult to observe, it recommends as far as possible to limit or even stop the consumption of liquorice.