Licorice! Chemical & Engineering News tells us it soothes the body, suppresses coughs, and heals ulcers. Food Matters notes that licorice can cure low potassium levels and help chronic fatigue symptom. So why are confections made with real licorice extract nearly absent in the United States but prominent in Europe? Both articles seem to note the lack of confections made with real licorice extract in the United States but fail to provide reasons behind this. This is where I decided to investigate this question for myself.
My first hypothesis coincided with the dangers of licorice. These dangers include, but are not limited to, lower testosterone levels, water retention, headaches, and heart failure. At first it seemed reasonable that licorice confections are almost non existent in the United States due to such dangers. Then I realized other dangerous substances such as tobacco products and alcoholic beverages are sold, and pose similar dangers. Furthermore, most of the dangers associated with licorice consumption only occur when licorice is consumed in high amounts. It seems that consuming high amounts of any one thing can be dangerous, not just licorice.
Another hypothesis of mine as to why licorice candies are rare in the United States was the audience most confections target: kids. It’s reasonable to believe licorice is absent in most candies because of the dangers they can pose to kids.
After looking everywhere on the internet including the Food and Drug Administration website, I found nothing to indicate that licorice candies are in anyway limited by rules or regulations in the United States. I am sorry to say I found nothing that would indicate the reasons why licorice flavored candies in the United States use anise (licorice alternative) as opposed to real licorice. My only guess involves taste preference. Perhaps Americans just prefer the taste of anise over the taste of real licorice. I’m sure someone out there has a better guess or perhaps the answer to this.
3 comments:
The licorice plants does not grow in the US. This would be a significant reason why it is less common.
Food Matters actually goes into detail about how excessive amounts of licorice can cause potassium deficiency which leads to chronic fatigue, not cure it. The way this happens is there is a compound in the licorice, glycyrrhizic acid, that resembles the structure of a very important renal hormone called aldosterone (Ald). Ald has multiple functions in the body, but the function that is pertinent here is its role in sodium retention. Ald causes the body to reabsorb sodium in the collecting duct of the nephron located in the kidneys. In order to absorb sodium into the body it must be actively transported across the membrane by what is known as a Na+/ K+ ATPase. This ATPase absorbs 3 Na+ and excretes 2 K+ at the cost of one ATP. Then the K+ is excreted in the urine. If this continues without replenishing your potassium levels then soon fatigue will set in. This is because K+ is vital in transmitting action potentials along neurons. Action potentials can be thought of as the message from your brain telling your body what to do. If your brain can't send the message then your body can't do anything. The simple remedy is to prescribe a potassium supplement to the patient.
Similar to what Dr. Norton said, I always thought that the reason such a large percentage of food produced in the United States contains some derivative of corn was because our farmers grow corn and our government subsidizes them. In other words, our money is going into corn, our money should come out of selling corn. Much of that corn is used in high fructose corn syrup--an ingredient found in nearly every manufactured food item. Basically, we don't use licorice to sweeten our candy, we use corn.
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