Objective: Liquorice-induced increase in blood pressure (BP) is more profound in subjects with essential hypertension (HT) than in healthy individuals. Liquorice induces pseudohyperaldosteronism by inhibiting the 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 and is also known to inhibit the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS). We explored the difference in response in BP, considering the RAAS and the genders.
Design: Patients with HT (eight men and three women, mean age 40.7 years) and healthy controls (13 men and 12 women, mean age 31.2 years) consumed 100 g of liquorice (150 mg glycyrrhetinic acid) daily for 4 weeks.
Methods: Blood, urine samples and BP were evaluated before and after 4 weeks of liquorice consumption and 4 weeks after cessation of liquorice consumption.
Results: The relative change in serum aldosterone levels differed between the genders (p < 0.02), men being more responsive than women, but not between patients with HT and healthy subjects.
Conclusion: The liquorice-induced inhibition of aldosterone secretion differs between the genders and is not influenced by the BP levels. This difference between the genders has not been exposed before.