Dear Dietitian

Is liquorice bad for people with high blood pressure?

I love liquorice and eat it every day. My friend has read liquorice is bad for people with high blood pressure. Is this true?

This does appear to be true. In the past it was thought that large amounts of liquorice needed to be eaten to have an effect on blood pressure. However, recent studies from researchers in Sweden and Iceland have suggested as little as 50g eaten daily over 2 weeks will cause a rise in blood pressure.

It is the glycyrrhetinic acid in liquorice that is responsible for this by causing a sodium and potassium imbalance, which contributes to sodium retention and potassium loss.

As well, even though liquorice has a low fat content of about 2%, it is 44% sugar.

Liquorice is not recommended for a person with diabetes. It is very much a once-in-a-while treat.

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