What a sad story this is from boston.com.

A 54 year old Massachusetts man died from eating too much black licorice, the report states.  Apparently, he ate a bag and a half of black licorice every day for weeks and because of the amount of a certain kind of acid in licorice, his heart stopped from low potassium levels and other factors.

It could be more than licorice that does this to you.  Dr. Robert Eckel, a cardiologist and former American Heart Association President cited in the report said,

 

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.

The report goes on to say that the man had switched from red to black licorice a few weeks before he died and he collapsed while having lunch at a fast food place.

A spokesperson for Hershey, who makes Twizzlers told the report,

.....all of our products are safe to eat and formulated in full compliance with FDA regulations and all candy should be enjoyed in moderation.

Sad story for the family of this man, that's for sure.  Fear of me dying from too many Twizzlers wouldn't be a concern for my family.  I just don't like them that much.  Maybe the poor guy was using them to try to quit smoking and he thought eating licorice would be better?  I don't know... it's just a thought.

 

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