LICORICE PREVENTS HEART ATTACKS
Report #7217
A study from Israel shows that licorice contains glabridin, a chemical that blocks LDL oxidation and may prevent heart attacks, but that doesn't mean that you should go out and start eating large amounts of licorice (1).
Many plants contain chemicals that prevent cancer or heart attacks. The same issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that tea contains flavinoids that also prevent heart attacks (2).
Preventing heart attacks involves eating lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans. If you're looking for a low-calorie substitute for sugar, licorice is 50 times as sweet as sugar, but it can raise your blood pressure. A study in the Journal of Hypertension shows that a moderate amount of licorice, 50 to 100 grams, raises blood pressure about 5 mm of mercury. If your blood pressure is normal, this shouldn't concern you, but if you have high blood pressure or a high cholesterol, this rise can increase your chances of suffering a heart attack or stroke. Licorice root contains a chemical called glycyrrhizic acid that has almost the same chemical structure as the hormone aldosterone, produced by your adrenal glands, that cause your body to retain the mineral, sodium and to lose the mineral, potassium,/ which can raise blood pressure. Some diuretics also cause your kidneys to lose large amounts of potassium. So, taking licorice with a diuretic can cause you to lose enough potassium to cause muscle fatigue and irregular heart beats.
By Gabe Mirkin, M.D., for CBS Radio News
1) B Fuhrman, S Buch, J Vaya, PA Belinky, R Coleman, T Hayek, M Aviram. Licorice extract
and its major polyphenol glabridin (100 mg/day) protect low-density lipoprotein against
lipid peroxidation: In vitro and ex vivo studies in humans and in atherosclerotic
apolipoprotein E-deficient mice. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 66: 2(AUG
1997):267-275. 2) T Ishikawa, M Suzukawa, T Ito, H Yoshida, M Ayaori, M Nishiwaki, A Yonemura, Y Hara,
H Nakamura. Effect of tea flavonoid supplementation on the susceptibility of low-density
lipoprotein to oxidative modification. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 66: 2(AUG
1997):261-266. 3) HA Sigurjonsdottir, J Ragnarsson, L Franzson, G Sigurdsson. Is blood pressure
commonly raised by moderate consumption of liquorice? Journal of Human Hypertension 9: 5
(MAY 1995):345-348.
Reported 9/1/97; Checked 9/5/05