Doctors call for under eight slushie ban as children taken to hospital unconscious after drinking them

Health experts are calling for a ban on slushies for children under the age of eight after a spate of concerning incidents involving the iced drinks.

Although a lot of people think these are simply a refreshing cold beverage, they contain an ingredient which can have a concerning impact on kids.

Last year, a number of parents told how their children were hospitalised after sipping on slushies, which come in a variety of flavours and vibrant colours.

One mother said her four-year-old was 'hallucinating' and 'clawing at his face' before medics eventually had to resuscitate him, while another said that her son, three, went 'stone cold' and lost consciousness.

These horror stories set alarm bells ringing for parents, with the majority of them admitting they had no idea about the dangers of a youngster drinking a slushie.

Researchers reckon kids under the age of eight shouldn't be allowed to consume slushies (HKPNC/Getty Stock Photo)

The children were found to be suffering from 'glycerol intoxication syndrome' after consuming the refreshment, which can cause symptoms such as sweating, irritability, lethargy, shock, hypoglycaemia and loss of consciousness.

Glycerol, also referred to as E422, is a naturally-occurring alcohol and sugar substitute which is used in slushies to stop the liquid from freezing solid, preserving the slush-like consistency, while also acting as a sweetener.

It is generally of low toxicity and the amount used in the slushies does not impact adults or older children.

But little kids can't process the glycerol the same because of the difference in body weight in comparison, so it instead builds up.

In the UK, the drinks are not recommended for kids under four - but experts are now calling for this age to be raised to eight in wake of new research.

Boffins reckon that public health bodies should be sharing 'clear messaging' explaining that younger children should steer clear of any drinks containing glycerol.

It comes after a study at University College Dublin, which saw experts analyse the medical notes of 21 children who became unwell after having a slushie in the UK and Ireland.

Experts urged the FSA to act (Getty stock photo/Olga Kushner)

Most of these incidents took place between 2018 and 2024, while the children were aged between two and seven.

After being rushed to hospital when they began displaying symptoms, the youngsters were initially informed that they were suffering from low blood sugar, or hypoglycaemia.

The review found that 14 of the kids became unwell within an hour of drinking the slushie and researchers said the findings indicate that the drinks 'may cause a clinical syndrome of glycerol intoxication in young children'.

They suffered symptoms such as decreased consciousness, hypoglycaemia, lactic acidosis and hypokalaemia.

The study warned: "Clinicians and parents should be alert to the phenomenon, and public health bodies should ensure clear messaging regarding the fact that younger children, especially those under eight years of age, should avoid slush ice drinks containing glycerol."

The drinks don't have any 'nutritional or health benefits' anyway, but do have the potential to make children unwell (Sally Anscombe/Getty Stock Photo)

Researchers hope the Food Standards Agency (FSA) might reconsider the guidance on slushies and raise the recommended age for consumption up to eight to be on the safe side.

There's no real argument for drinking them really anyway, as the research notes there are 'no nutritional or health benefits from these drinks' and 'they are not recommended as part of a balanced diet'.

The experts continued: "There is poor transparency around slush ice drink glycerol concentration; estimating a safe dose is therefore not easy.

"It is also likely that speed and dose of ingestion, along with other aspects such as whether the drink is consumed alongside a meal or during a fasting state, or consumed after high-intensity exercise, may be contributing factors.

"Recommendations on their safe consumption therefore need to be weighted towards safety. To ensure safe population-level recommendations can be easily interpreted at the individual parental level, and given the variability across an age cohort of weight, we suggest that recommendations should be based on weight rather than age."

The 21 children all recovered and were later discharged from hospital while being informed not to drink slushies, according to the study - but one of them did.

Although the rest of the kids who abided by the advice didn't experience any other episodes of low blood sugar, a seven-year-old who had a slushie developed symptoms once again, which arose within the hour.