Dr. Berg’s Healthy Keto and Intermittent Fasting Podcast

AVOID This If You Have High Blood Pressure

6 snips
Feb 2, 2026
A warning about licorice as a natural remedy that can raise blood pressure by causing sodium retention and potassium loss. Short daily amounts can add up and provoke muscle cramps or heart rhythm issues. Who is at higher risk and how much intake becomes dangerous. A safer form called DGL is suggested as an alternative.
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ADVICE

Avoid Regular Licorice If Hypertensive

  • Avoid chronic licorice consumption if you have high blood pressure, are older, or take diuretics or prednisone.
  • Choose DGL (deglycyrrhizinated licorice) instead to get gut benefits without raising cortisol or altering electrolytes.
INSIGHT

How Licorice Triggers Electrolyte Imbalance

  • Glycyrrhizin in licorice inhibits 11B-HSD2, which lets cortisol mimic aldosterone effects and drives sodium retention and potassium loss.
  • This electrolyte shift raises blood pressure and can cause muscle cramps and dangerous heart arrhythmias.
INSIGHT

Potassium Deficiency Is Widespread

  • Modern diets provide plenty of sodium but almost everyone lacks potassium, with a 4,700 mg daily requirement most people miss.
  • Licorice worsens this widespread potassium deficiency, compounding cardiovascular and metabolic risks.
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