A nutritional scientist has spoken out about a potentially dangerous drink popular with children and added ‘I will never give my kids this’. Dr Federica Amati author of Every Body Should Know This and head nutritionist at Zoe has two children and spoke out about the popular drink known as ‘slushies’.
Her intervention came as shocking it was claimed that 21 children in the UK and Ireland who have been admitted to A&E in the past six years after having the frozen drinks. Slushies, often sold from machines at cinemas and arcades, can contain glycerol, a sweet-tasting viscous liquid that helps them maintain their texture. It can also lead to glycerol intoxication syndrome, which causes symptoms such as unconsciousness, headaches and low blood sugar.
Writing in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood, researchers at University College Dublin recommended that children under the age of eight should not be allowed the drinks because of the health risks.
Dr Amati spoke out on the issue last week before the report came out – but blasted the drink as the ‘worst thing’ to give children. She said: “There are some things, however, that I would never give them. Slushies are top of my list. They are not only packed with artificial flavours and colourings, they have high levels of the sweetener glycerol, which can cause nausea, headaches and vomiting. They shouldn’t be consumed (or, in my opinion, be legal to sell) at all under the age of five and, frankly, there’s no good reason to consume them after that either.
“Close second are any other fizzy drinks and brightly coloured ice pops that deliver no nutritional benefits and increase the risk of cavities as well as disrupted sleep, and have a negative impact on metabolic health, due to the high free-sugar content.”
The Food Standards Agency advises that children under four should not drink slushies containing glycerol, but some health experts say the minimum age should rise to at least eight. The study said the recent “surge in cases” might be due to the sugar tax, which has encouraged drink manufacturers to replace sugar with glycerol.
“Healthcare professionals and parents should be aware that young children can become seriously unwell due to glycerol intoxication, shortly after consuming slush ice drinks containing glycerol,” it said. The study added: “From a public health perspective, there are no nutritional or health benefits from these drinks and they are not recommended as part of a balanced diet. Recommendations on their safe consumption therefore need to be weighted towards safety.”