Study drops scary news for licorice lovers

By Matt Hoffman, Buzz60

Black licorice isn't the most popular candy around, but it turns out it may be worse than just funny tasting.

A new study recently published in the American Journal of Epidemiology suggests eating black licorice is a bad idea during pregnancy.

The study's authors evaluated 13-year-old Finnish children and found that those with biological mothers that ate lots of black licorice scored lower on IQ tests as well as seemed more prone to ADHD.

Scientists think this might be due to the compound glycyrrhizin, found in the licorice root.

Most American red licorice does not contain real licorice root, but mothers should perhaps abstain from European licorice.