We all enjoy a good slushie every now and then. While they do not add any great nutritional value to our meal, they are a delightful snack made with shredded ice and sugar. To make them more accessible to people who cannot or do not wish to have sugar, there are many sugar free options to pick from. However, a recent study has revealed that sugar-free slushies containing glycerol, which is a sugar alcohol used to maintain their icy texture, can cause severe health problems in young children. The study was published in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood, it explains that having these sugar free slushies can lead to children having a condition called "glycerol intoxication syndrome". In this condition there is a rapid drop in blood sugar, reduced consciousness, and a buildup of acid in the blood.

Rapid Onset of Symptoms

Kids who drank slushies with glycerol got sick very quickly. Within an hour, they started showing serious symptoms. Their blood sugar would plummet, sometimes dangerously low. Many became confused or lost consciousness, and some even had seizures. Doctors studied 21 children who got sick from these drinks between 2018 and 2024. Most of these kids were very young, seven years old or younger. By the time they got to the hospital, many were in bad shape, either unconscious or barely awake. This quick reaction time makes it especially scary, as parents might not realize the slushy is the cause right away. It's important to recognize these signs fast.

Why is Glycerol Harmful?

According to WebMD Glycerol is a type of naturally occurring alcohol, and it's used in lots of food products. You might find it in protein bars, diet foods, and even sugar-free candies. In slushies, it plays a key role in keeping the drink icy. Usually, slushies use tons of sugar to stop them from freezing completely. But because people are trying to cut back on sugar, companies are using glycerol instead. This is especially true in places with "sugar taxes," where sugary drinks cost more. So, to make sugar-free versions, they add glycerol. This switch means more kids are being exposed to this ingredient, which can be harmful to them.

What Does Glycerol Damage Children's Health?

The study explains that little kids are more at risk from glycerol because their bodies are still growing and developing. Their tiny bodies and young metabolisms might not be able to handle glycerol as well as adults' bodies can. This means that even a small amount can cause a big problem. Also, the amount of glycerol in a slushy can vary, and it's hard to know exactly how much is safe. Factors like how fast they drink it, if they've eaten recently, or if they've been exercising can also make a difference. Even the standard size of a slushy drink can be too much for a small child. This makes it hard to give a safe dose.

Health authorities in the UK and Ireland have already started warning about glycerol in slushies. They suggest that kids under four shouldn't have them at all, and older kids should only have one at most. But doctors are worried that these warnings might not be enough. They point out that it's hard to know how much glycerol is actually in each drink, making it difficult to give safe advice. Parents are being told to be very careful and consider avoiding these drinks altogether for young children. In the US, glycerol is approved for use in food, but parents should still be aware of the potential risks. More research is needed to understand the full impact.

India faces a substantial hepatitis C burden, with the World Health Organization (WHO) estimating that 5.5 million to 12 million people are living with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

Untreated chronic HCV infection can lead to liver scarring, cirrhosis and liver cancer. Could shortening treatment by four weeks help more patients access a cure?

A multi-center trial led by researchers from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) found that an eight-week course of a commonly used antiviral combination was as effective as the standard 12-week regimen in patients without cirrhosis. Published in The Lancet, the findings could have implications for treatment costs and access to care.

The treatment combines sofosbuvir (400 mg) and velpatasvir (100 mg), two direct-acting antivirals that target the hepatitis C virus.

What Did The Indian Trial Find?

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The RESOLVE trial, led by researchers from Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS), Lucknow, evaluated whether eight weeks of sofosbuvir and velpatasvir could match the effectiveness of the standard 12-week course.

The trial enrolled 880 patients without cirrhosis across five publicly funded hospitals in Lucknow, New Delhi and Varanasi. Half received the combination for eight weeks, while the other half received it for 12 weeks.

Among participants who completed treatment and follow-up, 98.8% in the eight-week group achieved a sustained virological response, compared with 99% in the 12-week group. This means the virus remained undetectable after treatment, indicating a cure.

The researchers found that the shorter regimen was non-inferior to the standard course, meaning it was not less effective beyond the trial's prespecified statistical margin.

The study also reported no drug-related serious adverse events or treatment discontinuations due to adverse events.

How Shorter Treatment Help Reduce Hepatitis C Burden In India?

Direct-acting antivirals transformed hepatitis C treatment nearly a decade ago, making it possible to cure most patients with relatively few side effects. However, treatment costs and access remain important considerations for large public health programmes.

A 12-week course of sofosbuvir and velpatasvir costs approximately ₹15,000. Shortening treatment by four weeks could save around ₹5,000 per patient.

If adopted for a population of 60 lakh people requiring treatment, the shorter regimen could potentially save ₹3,000 crore. However, these are projected savings, and the actual impact would depend on patient eligibility, treatment costs and adoption in clinical practice.

Who Can Receive The Shorter Treatment?

The findings apply to patients without cirrhosis, as the trial excluded those with the condition. Patients with cirrhosis may require different treatment approaches depending on the severity of their liver disease and other clinical factors.

The trial's results do not mean that everyone with hepatitis C can switch to an eight-week course. Further evaluation and changes to relevant clinical guidance may be needed before the shorter regimen becomes routine practice.

Patients should consult their treating physician before making any changes to their prescribed treatment.

How Does Hepatitis C Spread?

Hepatitis C can cause illness ranging from mild infection to serious, long-term liver disease. Although some acute infections resolve spontaneously, chronic infection can progress to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, a type of liver cancer.

The virus can spread through infected blood, including via shared needles and unscreened blood transfusions.

Perinatal transmission is an important route of HCV acquisition in children. Early detection can help identify infected infants and ensure appropriate follow-up.

Colorectal cancer (CRC), a term encompassing cancer of the colon and rectum, is not only a growing burden in India, but a significant proportion of patients are now being diagnosed at a young age. While colorectal cancer is more common in older adults, Indian clinical studies have identified the phenomenon of young onset colorectal cancer (YO-CRC), typically diagnosed before the age of 50. An experts’ review on epidemiology of colorectal cancer with special emphasis on India, an article in 2025 was published in the Indian Journal of Gastroenterology. The review found that there has been an annual rise of 2-3% in the incidence of colorectal cancer over the past two decades.

In the area of Young Onset Colorectal Cancer, an editorial in 2024 in the South Asian Journal of Cancer noted that one quarter to one-third of colorectal cancer patients in India were below 40 years, and many were diagnosed at stage III or IV. Titled Clinicopathologic Profile and Treatment Outcomes of Colorectal Cancer in Young Adults, A Multicenter Study from India, an article published in JCO Global Oncology studied colorectal cancer among adolescents and young adults. The study revealed 62.70% had colon cancer and 37.30% rectal cancer, with 67% being aged 30-39 years and no significant gender predisposition, though females had a higher metastatic burden.

Why is colorectal cancer affecting younger Indians?

There is no single explanation. Researchers have studied factors like dietary changes, obesity, physical inactivity, altered metabolism, alcohol consumption, smoking, and environment as possible contributors. Increasing urbanisation and changing food habits could also be playing a role in India’s shifting colorectal cancer profile. But not all patients present with conventional risk factors, and in many patients, the causes remain unclear.

Genetic predispositions need special mention. Conditions such as Lynch syndrome and familial adenomatous polyposis (an inherited genetic condition that causes precancerous polyps to form in the large intestine) can raise the risk of colorectal cancer at a young age, but most young-onset cases are not explained by an inherited cancer syndrome.

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The problem of missed symptoms

One of the biggest problems in cancer treatment is delayed diagnosis. Because cancer is associated with older age, the symptoms in younger people may be mistaken for piles, constipation, diet-related problems or even irritable bowel syndrome. Rectal bleeding, persistent changes in bowel habits, unexplained weight loss, abdominal pain, iron-deficiency anaemia, persistent fatigue, or a feeling of incomplete bowel evacuation is usually dismissed as minor issues in younger people.

What should young Indians do?

Colonoscopy is not a solution that can be recommended for every young adult. Symptoms- and risk-based screening is a more reasonable approach. People with persistent symptoms, a strong family history of colorectal cancer, hereditary cancer syndromes, inflammatory bowel disease, or unexplained anaemia may require more intensive evaluation (including colonoscopy) if clinically indicated. This are high risk group, and they need regular screening lifelong. India’s colorectal cancer burden is rising, and younger patients are important segment of this burden.

The evidence available does not prove a nationwide explosion of colorectal cancer in under-50 age groups in India, but it does demonstrate an increasing overall incidence, a significant presence of young onset colorectal cancer, and frequent late presentation. If someone have a first degree relative with colon or rectal cancer like parents, ideally, they should have a colonoscopy done by the age of 45. For younger Indians, early recognition of warning signs may be one of the most critical steps for timely diagnosis and improved outcomes.

By Dr. Abhishek Gangopadhyay, Consultant - Surgical Gastroenterology, Surgical Oncology, Narayana RN Tagore Hospital, Mukundapur, Kolkata

At 42, Danielle Ripley-Burgess of Kansas City, Missouri, has survived colon cancer three times, at 17, 25 and 39.

The disease often begins as noncancerous growths called polyps in the colon or rectum. Early-stage cancer and precancerous polyps may cause no noticeable symptoms. Ripley-Burgess spotted her first symptom at the age of 14 but ignored.

Her First Symptom At 14

At 14, Ripley-Burgess noticed specks of blood in her stool but hid them out of embarrassment, believing red foods might be responsible.

“I thought, I’m eating something red and that’s probably what I see,” she told Today. “So I put myself on a ‘no red foods diet’ and stopped eating anything that was red in color: everything from candy to pizza to salsa to raspberry popsicles.”

After two years she eventually told her mother, who believed it to be a case of hemorrhoids. As her bleeding worsened, and she developed fatigue and severe stomach pain, she was taken to a gastroenterologist.

Colon Cancer Diagnosis At Age 17 And 25

A few weeks after her 17th birthday, Ripley-Burgess was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. She underwent chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. But years later, a follow-up colonoscopy revealed another cancerous polyp.

“I thought I had beaten cancer. I was getting colonoscopies every three years, and after one of them, I woke up and saw the very same look on the doctor’s face that I had seen eight years prior,” she said. “He saw a polyp that later turned out to be cancerous. I had no symptoms. At 25, I had stage 1 colon cancer.”

The second diagnosis was emotionally difficult as she feared losing the life she had built with her husband and the future they had planned.

Lynch Syndrome Increased Her Cancer Risk

Further testing revealed that Ripley-Burgess had Lynch syndrome, an inherited condition that increases the risk of colorectal, uterine and other cancers, according to the Mayo Clinic.

She underwent a preventive hysterectomy and subtotal colectomy, which removed all but about 13 inches of her colon.

Despite these measures, a colonoscopy in 2023 yet again detected a recurrence. At 39, she opted to have the remaining colon removed and a permanent ileostomy.

“I wasn’t expecting it, but I also wasn’t completely shocked,” she said, explaining that living with Lynch syndrome meant knowing cancer could return.

Why Blood in Stool Should Not Be Ignored

Ripley-Burgess now shares her story to encourage people, especially younger adults, to seek medical attention for unusual symptoms.

“If I could go back and tell my younger self something, it would be: Don’t be embarrassed about your body,” she told the outlet. “If you’re seeing something with your body that’s uncomfortable and weird, and you’re not ready yet to tell a doctor, tell somebody — a friend or family member. Don’t sit in that place of: something is wrong with your body, and you don’t know what it is. Don’t sit there alone. Don’t downplay what you’re seeing,” she

Colorectal cancer is expected to cause 158,850 new cases and 55,230 deaths in the US in 2026, according to the American Cancer Society.

Dr. Sajjan Rajpurohit, medical oncologist at BLK-Max Super Speciality Hospital, said, “Blood in the stool is one of the most common and concerning signs. While it might be due to hemorrhoids or fissures, it’s important not to assume. A proper evaluation is critical.”

Rectal bleeding can have several causes, but it should not automatically be attributed to hemorrhoids. Timely medical evaluation can help identify the cause and ensure appropriate treatment.