There are long lists of foods and medicinal plants that should be avoided during pregnancy, as reported by the Internet publication for girls and women from 14 to 35 years old Pannochka. net New research added to the black list licorice root and licorice sweets - the glycyrrhizin contained in them can disrupt the development of the child's brain and cause attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

The project co-author Katri Raikkonen from Helsinki University in Finland suggested that glycyrrhizin increases the hormone content of cortisol in the brain, disrupting the development of the fetal nervous system.

The results of the study are published by the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Although licorice is widely used in oriental folk medicine for peptic ulcers, bronchitis and many other diseases, American scientists report little-known side effects of this plant.

So, in November 2016 Medical News Today linked liquorice with female infertility, and other publications indicate an increased risk of complications of pregnancy, including underweight of newborns.

Dr. Ryakkonen decided to study the effect of licorice and licorice sweets during pregnancy on the neurological development of children. The reason for the attention to licorice was the fact that glycyrrhizin is a potent inhibitor of type II? - hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11? HSD2).

It is an enzyme that blocks the endogenous production of glucocorticoids (cortisol).

Theoretically, suppression of the enzyme 11-HSD2 violates the natural control over the production of glucocorticoids. Prenatal exposure to excessive concentrations of cortisol has long been associated with mental problems in children, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, ADHD.

Liquorice sweets disrupt brain development.

To test the bold theory, Dr. Raikkonen and her colleagues analyzed the medical history of 378 children (mean age 13 years) born in Helsinki in the late 1990s.

Information on the use of licorice and licorice sweets during pregnancy was collected from the words of mothers.

"Minor" use was defined as a norm below 249 mg glycyrrhizin per week; "Significant" - above 500 mg of glycoside per week (this is equivalent to 250 g of licorice sweets).

To assess the development and behavior of participants, the authors used the Child Behavior Checklist method, which allows to take into account minor psychological problems, features of the child's mental and intellectual development.

The differences between the first and second group of participants were striking.

Mothers who consumed more than 500 mg of glycyrrhizin per week exposed their still unborn children to an increased risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): they showed the worst results of intellectual and behavioral tests.

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