A new study warns parents to keep kids under four from drinking slush ice drinks that contain glycerol, an additive used to maintain the slushy texture in sugar-free versions.
Glycerol can trigger toxic effects in young children, leading to drowsiness, dangerously low blood sugar, and metabolic imbalances.
The study, published Tuesday in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, reviewed the cases of 21 children, with an average age of 3 years and 6 months, who fell ill within an hour of drinking a slushie.
Nearly all of the children in the study — 94% — experienced a drop in consciousness, 95% had dangerously low blood sugar, and 94% developed a buildup of acid in the body. Other symptoms included low potassium levels, excessive fat levels in the blood, and high levels of glycerol in the urine.
“High levels of glycerol caused a toxic phenomenon in children called glycerol intoxication syndrome,” Dr. Ellen Crushell, one of the study’s authors and a metabolic pediatrician at Children’s Health in Dublin, Ireland, told ABC News.
However, Crushell stressed that not all icy drinks contain glycerol but it is most likely found in sugar-free varieties. And the drinks aren’t likely to be a cause of concern when consumed in moderation.
Crushell said the children were so sick they were referred for genetic testing because the pediatricians in the emergency departments suspected a metabolic disorder. Most of them came into the emergency room unconscious, she said. One child had a seizure.
