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.

There is a growing belief that ‘sugar feeds cancer.’ Because of this, many people think that stopping sugar and carbohydrates completely can starve cancer cells and help defeat the disease. However, the trend may have side effects. This half-truth is becoming dangerous for many patients. This trend is making it even more difficult for patients to cope with the side effects of chemotherapy.

This fact is not entirely unscientific, but it is incomplete. In 1924, the German scientist Otto Warburg found that cancer cells consume more glucose than normal cells. This phenomenon is known as the Warburg Effect.

This finding has subsequently been validated in numerous studies. This is also the reason why cancer cells appear clearly in PET-CT scans. They absorb glucose-like substances more aggressively than normal cells. But this does not mean cancer can be “starved” by reducing sugar in food.

Why The Body Still Needs Glucose?

Glucose is an essential fuel for the human body. The brain, heart, red blood cells, and immune system all depend on it.

If a person completely stops eating carbohydrates, the body starts producing glucose on its own. It breaks down muscles and proteins to make energy. This process is known as gluconeogenesis. This means the cancer cells still receive fuel, but the patient’s body becomes weaker day by day. This condition is described as ‘cancer cachexia.’

In this condition, body weight and muscle mass reduce rapidly. Such patients often cannot tolerate chemotherapy and surgery properly. In some cases, their protein levels and white blood cell counts had dropped too much.

As a result, doctors had to delay treatment, reduce medicine doses, or even stop some treatment cycles. Irony is painful. In trying to starve cancer, patients sometimes end up weakening their own bodies so much that proper treatment becomes difficult.

In my clinic, I see it almost every week. In such a case, a cancer patient walks in visibly frail. She almost had lost several kilograms over the past month. When I asked about her diet, her IT professional son said that she has cut out sugar entirely. The reason behind this was the same reel-based knowledge about sugar and cancer cells. His son strictly follows this half-truth. Due to her weakness, we had to push back her treatment for a few weeks.

What Cancer Patients Should Eat

We simply suggest avoiding foods that rapidly increase blood sugar levels. These include refined sugar, sweets, soft drinks, maida, and highly processed foods. We advise cancer patients to eat complex carbohydrates, whole grains, pulses, vegetables, healthy fats, and enough protein. The best way is not to cut sugar entirely, but to lower the glycemic load.

Will Fasting help?

Some animal studies have shown the benefits of fasting during cancer treatment. However, there is still not enough evidence in humans. For patients who are already weak or losing weight rapidly, long fasting can become harmful.

The Goal Is to Stay Strong During Treatment

Cancer cells use more glucose, but starving the body cannot stop cancer. If you want to help your body, then avoid refined sugar and junk food, but continue eating balanced meals. Because sufficient protein and calories are extremely important. Practising long fasting without medical advice is harmful. The goal should be to keep the body stable and strong, not weak.

The purpose of cancer nutrition is to nourish the patient, not to starve them. Proper nutrition helps the body tolerate treatment and fight disease more effectively. What is needed is to reduce the intake of refined sugar and foods with a high glycemic index, not to declare every carbohydrate an enemy. After all, one cannot win the battle against disease by weakening the body.

A new oral weight-loss drug is showing promising results for people living with obesity or who are overweight. In a phase II clinical trial published in Nature Medicine, participants taking the experimental medication aleniglipron lost up to 12% of their body weight over 36 weeks.

The study included contributions from Robert Kushner, MD, professor emeritus of medicine at Northwestern University and a longtime expert in obesity treatment.

Aleniglipron belongs to the GLP-1 family of drugs, the same class as popular medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy. These treatments help people lose weight by mimicking a natural hormone that reduces appetite, increases feelings of fullness, and helps regulate blood sugar levels.

What makes aleniglipron different is that it comes in pill form. Most currently available GLP-1 medications require injections and often need special storage, which can make them less convenient and more difficult for some patients to access.

Researchers believe an oral option could make treatment easier for many people. Because aleniglipron is a small-molecule drug—meaning it is chemically manufactured rather than peptide-based—it can be produced more efficiently and potentially at a lower cost.

“Aleniglipron is different because it’s a small molecule that can be taken with or without food,” Kushner said. “Most medicines people take every day, from aspirin to blood pressure drugs, are small molecules. That also creates opportunities to combine it with other treatments in the future.”

If further studies confirm its safety and effectiveness, aleniglipron could offer a more convenient alternative to injectable GLP-1 medications and help expand access to obesity treatment.

Why Is GLP-1 Drug A Medical Breakthrough?

Dr Shubham Vatsya explains that it took 20 years of research for scientists to come up with these medicines. This drug underwent proper lengthy trials, and have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), "which is not obtained by giving any bribe".

He also noted that when a person is not able to lose weight, Ozempic and drugs alike give a "head start" to them, along with a hope.

Talking about side effects, he says that every drug has its side effects, this is where a doctor's role comes in.

"Now, the person who is not able to lose weight, if you tell him 'you hit 100 kg bench press', he will break his shoulder. He needs a kickstart somewhere. This is what weight loss drugs allow," he says.

He also points out that the scientists who made GLP-1 agonists got a Nobel Prize, which "cannot be a scam". This is what makes weight loss drugs truly different.

Also Read: Raising Sons Linked to Faster Cognitive Decline in Later Life, Study Find

What Are GLP-1 Drugs?

GLP-1 Drugs stand for Glucagon-like peptide 1, a naturally occurring hormones that helps regulate blood sugar and appetite after eating. It was first identified almost 50 years ago and scientists have since uncovered its role in type 2 diabetes.

Air conditioners feel great when the weather turns hot and sticky. Most of us spend hours under one, at home, at work, or even on long drives, and it barely crosses our minds. But sitting in cold air for too long can quietly leave your neck and back feeling tight and sore. AC isn't going to cause a serious spine problem on its own, but it can tighten up your muscles and make existing pain worse.

Why Does This Happen?

Muscles function optimally when they are relaxed and warm. As soon as the cold air comes into contact with them, the body automatically starts tightening them as it seeks to retain its warmth. When this occurs in places such as the neck, shoulders, and lower back regions, there is a chance that these muscles will get sore and stiff. This condition worsens even more if the cold air continues to blow in the same spot for hours, especially while sleeping or sitting at a workstation.

What It Does To Your Neck And Back

Your neck and back rely on several muscles to keep you upright and moving properly all day. Cold air can slow blood flow to these muscles, which makes them tense up more easily. That's why people often wake up with a stiff neck after sleeping under an AC vent or feel upper back pain after a day in a freezing office. If you already deal with something like cervical spondylitis or chronic back pain, cold air can make those symptoms flare up even more.

It's Not Just The AC

Cold air rarely works alone. Bad posture, sitting too long, skipping exercise, and not stretching enough all add to the problem. Picture sitting at a computer for hours in a chilly office: that's tense muscles and poor posture combining at the same time, which makes stiffness and pain even more likely.

Simple Ways To Avoid It

A few small changes can make a real difference: keep the airflow away from your neck and back, set the temperature to something comfortable rather than freezing, get up and stretch every so often, drink enough water, and keep a light sweater or shawl nearby if it gets too cold.

AC keeps us comfortable when it's hot outside, but too much cold air for too long can leave your neck and back stiff and achy. A little attention to airflow, posture, and movement throughout the day can help you stay comfortable without paying for it later.

(By Dr. Aanchal Sharma, Pain Physician, Principal Consultant and Head of Department, Department of Pain Medicine at BLK MAX Hospital, New Delhi)