Most parents are fairly concerned about their children’s diet, making sure that most of the time, their kids eat healthy foods. Sometimes, however, like on holidays or at birthday parties, parents happily let their kids indulge in something less nutritionally beneficial. After all, everyone deserves a treat sometimes, right? What they don’t expect is that the treat will send their child to the emergency room. A mom was left terrified when her four-year-old daughter became unresponsive after consuming a popular iced drink at a children’s party. The little girl, Marnie, suddenly fell unconscious, prompting her mother, Kim Moore, to rush her to the hospital. Doctors discovered that Marnie’s blood sugar levels had dropped dangerously low, which was attributed to the drink she had consumed just minutes before losing consciousness.
An Unexpected Turn of Events
At the party, Moore had purchased two one-liter refillable cups for her daughters. Her two daughters would run and play, coming back every few minutes for a sip or two of their slushies. Marnie, her younger daughter, had only consumed half of her drink. Around 10 minutes later, she suddenly began to show signs of agitation. Marnie then appeared to be quite sleepy, and laid down to take a nap. Moore initially mistook this for Marnie being overtired, only realizing the severity of the situation when she struggled to wake her daughter, who appeared pale and unresponsive. Marnie had fallen unconscious.
A Frightening Hospital Stay
Moore quickly called emergency services, who came and rushed the little girl to the nearby hospital. Marnie remained unconscious for approximately 25 minutes as doctors worked to raise her blood sugar levels. She stayed in the hospital for three days as a medical team monitored her blood sugar status and other vital signs. Moore says that she now believes that what her daughter experienced was glycerol toxicity. This is because these slushies used glycerol, a sugar replacement, to sweeten the slushy beverage.
“In hospital, she screamed out in agony saying her head hurt and threw up everywhere,” Moore recalled. “Looking back, she had every single symptom of glycerol toxicity. We got transferred to another hospital and they had no idea what had caused it. We started looking into the slushy because that was the only thing differently she’d had that day.”
A Mother’s Warning
Following the distressing ordeal, Moore has become a vocal critic of slushies, describing them as “poison”. She has since begun adamantly advocating against their consumption by children. She expressed a belief that slushies should not be sold to children under the age of 12, emphasizing the trauma her family experienced as a result of Marnie’s illness.
“I personally wouldn’t allow my child to drink one at all. It’s not a risk I’m willing to take,” she said. “I don’t think they should be sold to kids 12 and under in all honesty. I wouldn’t wish what we went through on our worst enemy. It was awful.”
Expert Warnings
The scary thing is that little Marnie is not the only child to have experienced this. In fact, there are some highly concerning findings that show at least 21 cases of children who have become ill after consuming the glycerol-containing slushy beverages. Moore’s advocacy aligns with recent expert warnings, cautioning that slush-ice drinks containing the sweetener glycerol should not be given to children under the age of eight.
Understanding Glycerol
Glycerol, which is the same thing as glycerin, is a colorless, odorless liquid used often in both the food and pharmaceutical industries. It is added to foods as a replacement for sugar, as well as a thickening agent and even a preservative. In slushies, glycerol is used to maintain the ‘slush’ effect in sugar-free versions of the slush ice drinks.
Glycerol Toxicity in Children
For adults, glycerol doesn’t seem to pose too much of a health risk. For children under the age of 12, however, who have much smaller bodies than adults, this is not the case. Recent studies have highlighted the potential risks associated with glycerol consumption in young children. Glycerol intoxication syndrome has been observed in children, particularly following the consumption of glycerol-containing slush ice drinks. This has raised concerns about the potential toxicity of glycerol in young and developing bodies.
Signs and Symptoms in Children
Of course, the best thing you can do to protect your children is not let them consume any glycerol-containing products at all. That being said, it is important that you know the signs and symptoms of glycerol toxicity in children, in case it does inadvertently happen to your child or another in your vicinity. Parents should be vigilant for the following signs and symptoms of glycerol intoxication in children:
- Headaches
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Aggravation
- Loss of consciousness
Recommendations for Parents
The research shows that children under four should avoid consuming any glycerol-containing products altogether. For those between the ages of 5 and 10, moderation is key – no more than one, normal sized slushy per day. For children older than 10, toxicity has not been found. That being said, these drinks, regardless of whether they contain glycerol or just regular old sugar, are not good for human health for a number of reasons. Slushies should not be a regular part of anyone’s diet, including children.
The Bottom Line
Little Marnie is a lucky little girl. Had her mother not realized that something was wrong when she did, and had she not received emergency care as quickly as she did, this story could have ended in a much more tragic way. The reality is, these slushy beverages just aren’t good for children or adults. Whether they contain potentially life-threatening glycerol or are just laden with copious amounts of sugar, their consumption should, in general, be avoided. Truthfully, we should simply be advocating for decreased sugar in products instead of replacing the sugar with these sugar alternatives. Clearly they are no better for us than the sugar itself.
