LICORICE

By Trevor Shewfelt, Pharmacist at the Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy

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The information in this article is intended as a helpful guide only. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional advice. If you have any questions about your medications and what is right for you see your doctor, pharmacist or other health care professional.

So I’ve had the same question now in both Dauphin and Winnipegosis. People keep asking me about a belly fat burning product they read about in the Winnipeg Free Press. The product is called Glabrinex. The clipping from the Free Press said Glabrinex was made with Glycyrrhiza and it had been used for over 4000 years. I was time to go look through some ancient scrolls and stone tablets to see what I could find.

Well, it turns out that Glycyrrihiza is one of about a dozen names for licorice. Licorice is easier for me to say and spell, so that is how I am going to refer to it.

The Natural Medicines database rates licorice as likely safe when used orally in amounts commonly found in foods. Licorice has the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status in the US. Like almost everything, though, the dose is the key. Large amounts of licorice, like over 30 g per day, for several weeks can cause very high blood pressure, low potassium, alkalosis, weakness, paralysis and occasionally brain injury in otherwise healthy people. As little as 5 grams per day can cause problems in people with high blood pressure or kidney problems. The amount of licorice in Glabrinex is only 100 mg per capsule and they only recommend you take 3 capsules per day, so 300 mg is still less than 5 g.

The Free Press article talks about the dangers of belly fat. And as far as I can tell belly fat does seem to produce more chemical signals called peptide hormones and inflammatory cytokines than fat cells elsewhere. These bad chemical signals have been implicated in increasing the chance of heart attacks and strokes by causing inflammation in the blood vessels. I guess that is one more reason that people like me with a little extra around the middle should try to reduce our bellies.

Which brings us back to the licorice extract. Is it a good idea for reducing belly fat? Maybe. The manufacturers of Glabrinex did a study. The group that got Glabrinex, the licorice extract product, lost weight, and lost belly fat. They lost more than that group that got the placebo. The good results took at least 8 weeks to appear. So everyone who has a little extra around the middle like me should go and buy the stuff, right? Well maybe not.

The Natural Medicines Database rates the evidence for weight loss for licorice as mixed at best. It does acknowledge that licorice has been shown to reduce body fat, but other studies have found that the accompanying fluid retention offsets the weight loss.

As a pharmacist, I worry the most about people who are on other medications who want to take a licorice extract. People who are on blood pressure or heart failure medications should avoid licorice extracts as the possible fluid retention can raise blood pressure and worsen heart failure. People on the blood thinner warfarin should definitely avoid licorice as it may increase how fast your body breaks down warfarin and could lead to a blood clot.

So, I guess the bottom line is for a young, health person a licorice extract to lose belly fat may be safe. However if you retain water, the actual weight reduction may be small. If you have high blood pressure, heart failure or are on warfarin, licorice extracts aren't for you.

As always if you have any questions or concerns about these or other products, ask your pharmacist.