12 hours ago
Warning over slushy drinks as children are left unconscious and one toddler was '20 minutes from death'
Experts have issued an alarming health warning over the hidden dangers of slushies due to their adverse effects on young children.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) in the UK has warned that ice drinks containing the super-sweet substance glycerol are not suitable for kids under seven.
It comes amid a surge in horrifying reports of children collapsing after consuming the drinks. One two-year-old girl was left '20 minutes from death' after having a slushy at her friend's birthday party, according to her grandmother.
Experts said just one 350ml drink, about as much as a can of soda, could be enough to cause problems in children under four.
In youngsters aged five to ten, one and a half of these drinks can have dangerous effects, if consumed quickly.
In March, doctors also blamed slushie s for a spate of 21 hospitalizations in children who needed medical care within an hour of consuming the drinks.
One grandmother Stacey Agnew last year told how her granddaughter was left '20 minutes from death' after consuming a slushy drink at her friend's birthday party.
Arla Agnew became 'gray' and fell unconscious only 30 minutes after sipping half of the drink at the event.
Stacey said she knew something was wrong with the toddler, and was left terrified when she suddenly appeared lifeless.
After rushing the tot to the hospital medics determined the child had gone into hypoglycemic shock - and the ice drink may have been to blame.
But the case was just one in a wave of young children being sickened after consuming slushies.
A terrified mother also warned of the dangers of popular slushy drinks after her two young sons suffered what appeared to be a dangerous reaction to the beverages earlier this year.
Roxy Wallis was shocked to find her sons vomiting, deathly pale and looking 'lifeless' minutes after consuming just 300ml of the drinks, equivalent to less than a can of Coke.
The mom believes they suffered from glycerol toxicity - dangerously low blood sugar triggered by iced artificially sweetened slushies.
In the same month, another mother also shared how her four-year-old was left 'floppy and unconscious' and rushed to hospital after consuming a drink at a children's play center.
Marnie Moore was rushed to hospital where she received urgent treatment for glycerol toxicity.
Her mother, Kim Moore is now calling for a ban on the drinks for under 12s.
'If I hadn't taken her to hospital, it may have had a different outcome,' she said.
'So many places promote free slushies when you play but you're promoting poison.
'I don't think they should be sold to kids 12 and under. And I personally wouldn't allow my child to drink one at all. It's not a risk I'm willing to take.'
Glycerol, also called E422 or glycerine on some labels, is a naturally occurring alcohol and sugar substitute which is added to slushies to prevent them from freezing.
Once ingested the substance is known to absorb a great deal of water and sugar from the bloodstream, before being broken down by the liver and kidneys.
It's this sudden loss of internal moisture and blood sugar that experts believe leads to the serious and potentially life-threatening reaction in younger children.
Professor Susan Jebb, FSA Chair, said: 'In the warm weather, children may be more likely to consume slush ice drinks containing glycerol, so it's important that parents and carers are aware of the risks.
'As a precaution, the FSA is recommending that children under seven do not consume slush ice drinks containing glycerol.
'We expect industry to share data on the quantity of glycerol in their products to inform our future work.
'Meanwhile, there are immediate actions they can take that can help protect children and reduce the risk from these products.
'For example, retailers should limit cup sizes and should not offer free refill promotions to children under 10.'
