There is a molecule in black licorice that inhibits an enzyme which normally limits activation of mineralocorticoid receptors. Thus, overconsumption of licorice can mimic the effect of excess aldosterone. What would be the result?

Question

A.  infertility in men
B.  hypertension (high blood pressure) due to insufficient potassium in the blood
C.  excessive body hair
D.  low blood pressure due to excessive potassium in the blood

Clarify Question
What is the key concept addressed by the question?
What type of thinking is required?

Gather Content
What do you already know about the aldosterone? What other information is related to the question?

Choose Answer
Given what you now know, what information is most likely to produce the correct answer?

Reflect on Process
Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a more desirable result?

Answer 1

B.  hypertension (high blood pressure) due to insufficient potassium in the blood

Clarify Question
What is the key concept addressed by the question?
        · What hormone does licorice mimic?
What type of thinking is required?
            o This is an evaluate question because you have to access various symptoms to see which of these systems would be produced by excess aldosterone.

Gather Content
What do you already know about the aldosterone? What other information is related to the question?
        · Black licorice inhibits an enzyme which normally limits activation of mineralocorticoid receptors. Since aldosterone is a mineralocorticoid, this mimics the effect of excess aldosterone. Aldosterone regulates blood pressure by regulating mineral balance, specifically by stimulating the kidneys to reabsorb Na+ ions and secreting K+ ions in the urine. As a result, aldosterone increases water retention and increases blood pressure.

Choose Answer
Given what you now know, what information is most likely to produce the correct answer?
        · Applying what you know, you can discount the answers concerning sexual characteristics such at infertility or excessive body hair, because aldosterone is a mineralocorticoid involved in the regulation of mineral balance and not a sex steroid hormone like testosterone. The remaining answers deal with blood pressure. So how does aldosterone affect blood pressure? It increases it by increasing blood Na+ and decreasing K+.

Reflect on Process
Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a more desirable result?
        o Answering this question correctly depended upon understanding the role of aldosterone on blood pressure and the mechanism of this regulation. Then you had to evaluate each answer to see if excess aldosterone would fit the symptom. If you selected the correct answer, great! If not, what went wrong? Did you confuse mineralocortocoids with steroid hormones? Did you think that aldosterone decreased blood pressure instead of increasing it?