Experts are warning the public against eating too much liquorice after a woman was admitted to hospital after eating too much of the sweet.
The Yorkshire woman suffered potentially fatal muscle failure after eating too much Pontefract cake.
Doctors say she had been eating up to 200mg of the liquorice sweet a day to relieve constipation.
"Her potassium levels were dangerously low and her muscles were very weak," Dr Raja Hussain of Pontefract General Infirmary told the Postgraduate Medical Journal.
"She also had high blood pressure, which is dangerous because it can lead to a stroke."
The woman recovered after four days in hospital.
Liquorice contains an active ingredient, glycyrrhizic acid, which manufacturers claim can relieve constipation, colds, allergies, and even help people with ulcers.
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_963284.html?menu=
The Yorkshire woman suffered potentially fatal muscle failure after eating too much Pontefract cake.
Doctors say she had been eating up to 200mg of the liquorice sweet a day to relieve constipation.
"Her potassium levels were dangerously low and her muscles were very weak," Dr Raja Hussain of Pontefract General Infirmary told the Postgraduate Medical Journal.
"She also had high blood pressure, which is dangerous because it can lead to a stroke."
The woman recovered after four days in hospital.
Liquorice contains an active ingredient, glycyrrhizic acid, which manufacturers claim can relieve constipation, colds, allergies, and even help people with ulcers.
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_963284.html?menu=