Licorice During Pregnancy: Be Careful, It Can Harm The Baby!
Gummy bears, chips, chocolate and etc. Every pregnant woman knows the nasty increased appetite attacks. But you should be careful with licorice when you’re pregnant. Regular consumption can be harmful to your baby.
There are a number of things to consider when it comes to nutrition during pregnancy. While it is better to avoid some foods completely, the consumption of licorice in moderation is perfectly ok. If you have already enjoyed one or two snails during your pregnancy, that is completely ok. However, you should take care not to eat large quantities of it regularly while you are still pregnant. This is because licorice contains a substance that can harm your baby in the long term.
Therefore you should rather avoid it
It tastes delicious and the licorice root juice contained in licorice is a real natural talent among household remedies. Not only does it have an expectorant effect on colds, it also helps with stomach ailments. But it is precisely this active ingredient called glycyrrhizin that can have a negative effect on the development of your unborn baby during pregnancy, as a long-term study from Finland has shown. According to the study, children of mothers who ate more than 100 grams of liquorice a week during pregnancy were later found to have behavioural and concentration problems.
Why is licorice unhealthy during pregnancy?
Glycyrrhizin affects the protective barrier function of the placenta. This protective function ensures that harmful substances – such as the stress hormone cortisol – cannot reach your baby at all or only in very small quantities. If you now eat too much licorice during your pregnancy, this barrier function of the placenta can be rendered ineffective and your baby is exposed to increased amounts of the stress hormone. This in turn can affect both the physical and cognitive development of the baby. Even if it is hard to resist the pregnancy urges: too much licorice can cause permanent damage to your child!
What damage can licorice cause during pregnancy?
The research team led by Katri Raikkonen of the University of Helsinki found that both the memory and intelligence of children and adolescents of mothers who had consumed a lot of licorice during their pregnancy scored up to seven IQ points lower on average on intelligence tests.
Further consequences in children:
- Problems of concentration
- Reduced vocabulary
- Increased potential for aggression
- Poor spatial awareness
- Premature puberty in girls
- Three times higher risk of ADHD
How much licorice in pregnancy is okay?
With one or two liquorice snails, you don’t have to worry about your baby yet. According to the researchers, liquorice only becomes risky when the amount of glycyrrhizin is about 250 g or 500 mg per week. Nevertheless, 100 g of licorice per week should not be exceeded at best. Then you are on the safe side and do not have to give up your beloved liquorice completely. In other words, you can enjoy half a bag of licorice without any problems in about a week.