馬薩諸塞州的一個男人因為吃了太多他所愛的糖果而喪生。
據AP新聞報道，一個建築工人已經吃了一袋半的黑色甘草，好幾周了。 該報告稱，醫生周三報道說，吃過多的黑色甘草“把他的營養素從肉裏扔掉，並導致54歲的男子的心髒停止。”
“即使你吃的少量甘草也能使你的血壓稍微增加一點，”醫生說。 該報告提到，馬薩諸塞州總醫院的心髒病學家Neel Butala，他在《新英格蘭醫學雜誌》中描述了這一情況。
黑色甘草裏的什麽東西導致問題呢？
報告說，甘草酸是造成該問題的原因。該報告說，這種化合物存在於黑色甘草和其他含有甘草根提取物的食品和膳食補充劑中，“可能會導致危險的低鉀和其他稱為電解質的礦物質失衡。”
美國食品和藥物管理局警告說，“食用該物質的人應少食用報告指出：“因為兩周內每天2盎司的黑甘草可能會引起心律問題，尤其是對於40歲以上的人。”
哪些食物含有甘草酸？
美聯社新聞報道援引科羅拉多大學心髒病專家，前美國心髒協會主席羅伯特·埃克爾（Robert Eckel）博士的話說。可能是軟心豆粒糖，甘草茶，櫃台上的很多東西。埃克爾說：“甚至有些啤酒，例如比利時啤酒，也都含有這種化合物。”
根據該報告，去年他死前幾周，該男子從紅色味果汁扭曲糖轉向黑色甘蔗版糖。 報告說，當他吃午飯昏倒時，醫生發現，這名男子的鉀含量低得危險，這導致心律節奏和其他問題。 他因急救人員做了CPR,當時他恢複了， 但他第二天死亡.
什麽是甘草酸的安全水平?
布塔拉說，美國食品和藥物管理局允許食物含量高達3.1%的甘草酸，但許多糖果和其他甘草製品並沒有透露每盎司含有多少含量。 AP新聞報道說，醫生已經向美國食品和藥物管理局報告了這一情況，希望引起人們關注這一風險。
赫爾希公司的回應：
在給AP新聞的一封電子郵件中，Hershey Company的發言人傑夫·貝克曼(Jeff Beckman)表示，“我們的產品都可以安全地吃，並完全符合FDA的條例，”所有食品，包括糖果，“應該適度地享受。 ”
Updated Sep 24, 2020; Posted Sep 24, 2020
A Massachusetts man lost his life because he ate too much of the candy he loved.
According to a report by AP News, the construction worker had been eating a bag and a half of black licorice for a few weeks. The report said doctors reported Wednesday that eating that excessive amount of black licorice “threw his nutrients out of whack and caused the 54-year-old man’s heart to stop.”
“Even a small amount of licorice you eat can increase your blood pressure a little bit,” said Dr. Neel Butala, a cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, who described the case in the New England Journal of Medicine, the report cited.
What’s in black licorice that causes a problem?
Glycyrrhizic acid is the cause of the problem, the report said. The compound, found in black licorice and in other foods and dietary supplements containing licorice root extract, the report said, “can cause dangerously low potassium and imbalances in other minerals called electrolytes."
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns that “eating as little as 2 ounces of black licorice a day for two weeks could cause a heart rhythm problem, especially for folks over 40,” the report cited.
What foods contain glycyrrhizic acid?
The AP News report quoted Dr. Robert Eckel, a University of Colorado cardiologist and former American Heart Association president, who had no role in the Massachusetts man’s care: “It’s more than licorice sticks. It could be jelly beans, licorice teas, a lot of things over the counter. Even some beers, like Belgian beers, have this compound in it,” as do some chewing tobaccos, Eckel said.
According to the report, a few weeks prior to his death last year, the man had switched from red, fruit-flavored twists to the candy’s black licorice version. After he collapsed while having lunch, doctors found the man’s potassium to be dangerously low, which led to heart rhythm and other problems, the report said. He revived after emergency responders did CPR, but died the next day.
What is considered to be a safe level of glycyrrhizic acid?
The FDA permits up to 3.1% of a food’s content to have glycyrrhizic acid, however, many candies and other licorice products don’t disclose how much of it is contained per ounce, Butala said. The AP News report said that doctors have reported the case to the FDA in hopes of drawing attention to the risk.
A response from the Hershey Company:
In an email to AP News, Jeff Beckman, a spokesman for the Hershey Company, which makes Twizzlers licorice twists, said that “all of our products are safe to eat and formulated in full compliance with FDA regulations,” and that all foods, including candy, “should be enjoyed in moderation.”
