that slush ice drinks, or slushies, can be harmful to children under the age of eight due to one ingredient after a string of hospitalisations.

, published in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood, warned of the potential risks posed by drinks including glycerol after reviewing 21 cases in which children became acutely unwell shortly after consuming drinks containing the chemical.

which included reduced consciousness, a sudden sharp drop in blood sugar, and a build-up of acid in the blood, akin to a form of poisoning or metabolic disorder.

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Glycerol, also known as glycerin, is found in brightly coloured slushies, a summer treat for many kids which is sold across the UK, and is often added as a substitute for sugar, prompting sellers to market the drinks as 'sugar-free' or with 'no added sugar'. The compound prevents the ice drinks from fully freezing, allowing it to keep its slush effect.

The Archives of Disease in Childhood study details that the 21 children reviewed were initially diagnosed with hypoglycaemia, also known as low blood sugar or a 'hypo'. And, apart from one child, all others were referred for further review between 2018 and 2024.

The subjects ranged in age from two to seven years old. Of the 21 children, 14 became ill within an hour of drinking a slushy and 16 of them experienced a significant and sudden reduction in consciousness, the study claims. All the kids recovered quickly after initial resuscitation and stabilisation of their blood glucose.

The research further claims that 20 of the 21 children involved with the study avoided slushies after their incidents and experienced no further episodes of hypoglycaemia. The sole child to consume a slush ice drink again, aged 7, developed similar symptoms within the hour.

The parents of this child gave the kid a glucose drink as they waited for an ambulance to arrive and the kid's blood glucose level returned to normal levels before paramedics arrived, they claim.

Based on the study's findings, the UK Food Standards Agency recommends that young children, aged four and under, shouldn’t be given slush ice drinks containing glycerol and kids aged 10 or younger should not limited to just one. However, researchers have pushed back against this threshold, arguing the recommended age limit needs to be increased to 8 years to align better with weight variation.

They said: “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."