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.

Psoriasis is a long-term inflammatory skin disorder that impacts the immune system. It can cause itchy and unsightly areas of thick, flaky skin that can impact your confidence, relationships and everyday activities.

Symptoms can be erratic. Differ among individuals. Although a cure does not exist there are treatments that're effective. It is non-infectious.

What Happens In Psoriasis?

There is overactivity in the system causing an overproduction of skin cells. This causes a build-up of scaly patches known as plaques. The common form of psoriasis is plaque psoriasis. This type of psoriasis often appears on the scalp. It also often appears on the elbows. It also often appears on the knees. It also often appears on the back. This can cause itching, pain, breaking and bleeding. Nails can become pitted, with holes and can become thickened and lifted off the nail bed. Other forms can cause spots, shiny patches in areas of skin fold and pustules.

Depending on your skin colour, you may see /red patches on lighter skin or dark patches with less pink tones on darker skin. Sometimes your skin colour can become temporarily different when the inflammation has subsided.

Causes of Psoriasis

Whilst we do not fully understand the cause of psoriasis, it is caused by a combination of immune and environmental factors. If you have a family history, then you are more likely to develop psoriasis. Common triggers can vary between individuals, but infection, trauma, stress, smoking, excessive alcohol intake and certain medications can cause psoriasis or make symptoms worse.

Strep throat infections are commonly linked to guttate psoriasis (spot-like patches). Knowing your triggers can help; however, there may not always be a trigger.

Can We Reduce Flare-ups?

Unfortunately, there is no way to prevent psoriasis; however, keeping skin clean, taking medication and knowing your triggers can help reduce symptoms.

Have a shower using a cleanser and warm water. Apply a fragrance-free moisturiser to damp skin. Try not to scratch or rub your plaques. Try to avoid causing trauma to your skin and sunburn.

Keeping active, maintaining a weight if needed, quitting smoking and reducing alcohol can all improve your general health. Some people find keeping stress to a minimum helps; however, this cannot replace treatment. If your symptoms get worse when starting medication, let your doctor know. Do not stop taking your medication.

Treatments

This will depend on the type of psoriasis where it's how bad it is and how it is affecting your daily life. Your dermatologist will also take into consideration any medical conditions and if you have any joint symptoms.

Mild psoriasis can often be treated using various treatments. These can include steroids, vitamin D analogues and other medications. Steroids should be used at the correct strength and for the correct length of time depending on the area. Long-term steroids should be monitored.

Phototherapy uses specialist UV light, narrow-band UVB. This may be suggested if you have widespread psoriasis or topical treatments have not worked well enough. This should be monitored. Monitored. More severe or hard-to-treat psoriasis may need medication or biologicals. This can include Methotrexate, Ciclosporin, acitretin, or Apremilast. Biologicals work by targeting inflammatory pathways such as TNF, IL-17 and IL-23. This should be discussed individually with monitoring.

Talk to your doctor about any concerns you have regarding your treatment. This can include side effects, cost and difficulty sticking to a regimen. This will allow your doctor to put together a treatment plan.

Further Considerations

Some people with psoriasis can develop arthritis. If you have any pain, swelling, stiffness when waking up or heel pain, this should be assessed quickly. If left untreated, the inflammation can cause damage to your joints.

Psoriasis can put you at increased risk of developing disease, diabetes and other metabolic issues. This does not mean everyone with psoriasis will develop these conditions, but your doctor can advise what checks you need to do and how to keep your health in check. If your psoriasis is affecting your sleep, confidence, relationships or mood, let your doctor know. Counselling and other mental health support can be an addition to your treatment.

When To See A Doctor

If you have scaling changes to your nails or symptoms that are affecting your daily life, you should see a dermatologist. This will usually be diagnosed by looking at your skin and nails. Occasionally a skin biopsy may be needed.

If you have inflammation, scaling, pustules and are unwell or have a fever, you should seek urgent medical attention. This can indicate psoriasis and needs treating quickly. Whilst psoriasis can be unpredictable, there are treatments available. You deserve a treatment plan to help your symptoms.

The menstrual cycle is more than a monthly reproductive event. It is a complex physiological process involving fluctuations in hormones such as oestrogen and progesterone, which can influence appetite, energy balance, mood and digestion, raising the question: does a woman need to eat differently during different phases of her menstrual cycle?

Current research suggests that nutritional needs do not dramatically change from one week of the cycle to another for most healthy women. However, appetite, food intake and certain symptoms can change across the cycle. Understanding these changes can help women make practical dietary choices without turning nutrition into a complicated four-phase diet.

Understanding the Menstrual Cycle

The menstrual cycle can broadly be divided into the menstrual, follicular, ovulatory and luteal phases.

During menstruation, oestrogen and progesterone levels are relatively low, and the uterine lining is shed. The follicular phase begins with menstruation and continues until ovulation. Oestrogen generally rises during this period and reaches a peak around ovulation.

After ovulation, the body enters the luteal phase. Progesterone rises, along with another increase in oestrogen, before both hormones decline if pregnancy does not occur. These hormonal changes can influence appetite and food preferences.

Research has found that energy intake tends to be somewhat higher during the luteal phase than during the follicular phase.

Some studies suggest that resting metabolic rate may increase slightly during the luteal phase, although the estimated change is relatively small and varies between individuals and studies.

This is important because it means that feeling hungrier before a period is not necessarily a failure of willpower. It may partly reflect normal biological changes.

Why Nutrition Matters Across the Cycle

The goal should not be to follow a completely different diet every week. Instead, nutrition should provide the body with adequate energy, protein, fibre, vitamins, minerals and fluids throughout the entire cycle.

For women who experience premenstrual syndrome (PMS), dietary habits may be particularly relevant. PMS can include bloating, breast tenderness, headaches, fatigue, appetite changes, food cravings and mood changes.

Calcium is one nutrient that has attracted considerable attention. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends including calcium-rich foods such as yoghurt and leafy green vegetables as part of dietary strategies for PMS.

Iron is another important consideration, particularly for women with heavy menstrual bleeding. The recommended dietary allowance for iron is 18 mg per day for women aged 19–50 years. Good sources include lentils, beans, spinach, meat, poultry, seafood, fortified cereals and nuts. Vitamin C-rich foods can improve absorption of plant-based non-haem iron.

Dietary Recommendations

1. During menstruation: focus on iron, protein and hydration

If menstrual bleeding is moderate to heavy, prioritising iron-containing foods is sensible.

Include:

· Lentils, rajma, chickpeas and soy

· Green leafy vegetables

· Eggs, poultry or lean meat

· Sesame and pumpkin seeds

· Iron-fortified cereals

· Vitamin C-rich fruits such as oranges, guava, amla and kiwi

Pairing plant-based iron sources with vitamin C can improve iron absorption.

Adequate fluid intake can help maintain hydration, particularly if you experience symptoms such as bloating or headaches.

2. During the follicular phase: maintain a balanced eating pattern

There is no need for a special “follicular-phase diet”. This can be a good time to establish consistent meals containing whole grains, vegetables, fruits, pulses, dairy or alternatives, nuts and seeds.

Protein should be distributed throughout the day rather than concentrated in one meal.

For example, breakfast could include eggs or paneer with whole-grain toast; lunch could contain dal, vegetables and roti; and dinner could include tofu, paneer, fish or another protein source.

3. Around ovulation: focus on overall dietary quality

Focus on a diet rich in colourful vegetables and fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds and adequate protein. These foods provide fibre and a broad range of micronutrients and plant compounds.

4. During the luteal phase: plan for appetite and cravings

This is perhaps where nutrition can be adapted most practically.

Since appetite may increase during the luteal phase, trying to rigidly maintain the same food intake every day may backfire for some women. A better approach is to choose satisfying foods.

Combine protein + fibre + healthy fats in meals and snacks. For example:

• Yoghurt with fruit and nuts
• Roasted chana with fruit
• Apple with peanut butter
• Oats with milk, seeds and fruit
• Whole-grain roti with dal and vegetables

ACOG also recommends complex carbohydrate-rich foods and reducing excessive intake of salt, sugar and high-fat foods when managing PMS symptoms.

Practical Tips

Keep a symptom and food diary. Tracking your cycle for two or three months can help identify personal patterns in appetite, cravings, bloating, bowel habits, headaches and mood.

Do not compensate for increased appetite through extreme dietary restriction. A modest increase in hunger during the luteal phase can be a normal physiological response.

Build meals around protein and fibre. These can improve satiety and help make meals more filling.

Stay consistent with calcium-rich foods. Milk, yoghurt, paneer, ragi, sesame and calcium-fortified alternatives can contribute to calcium intake.

Be cautious with supplements. More is not necessarily better. Evidence for nutrients such as magnesium and vitamin B6 in PMS is mixed, and supplementation should be individualised. High-dose vitamin B6 taken for prolonged periods can cause neurological problems.

Common Myths and Facts

Myth: Every woman needs a different diet for each menstrual phase.

Fact: There is currently no strong evidence that healthy women require four completely different diets. A nutrient-dense dietary pattern should remain the foundation throughout the cycle.

Myth: Eating certain seeds during each phase can balance hormones.

Fact: Seeds such as flax, sesame, pumpkin and sunflower seeds are nutritious foods, but there is insufficient clinical evidence that consuming particular seeds at specific cycle phases “balances” reproductive hormones.

Myth: Weight gain before a period always means fat gain.

Fact: Changes in body weight around menstruation can reflect fluid retention, gastrointestinal changes and altered food intake. These changes should not automatically be interpreted as an increase in body fat.

Myth: Increased premenstrual hunger means a lack of self-control.

Fact: Research indicates that energy intake can increase during the luteal phase. Individual responses vary, but increased appetite can have a physiological component.

Myth: Supplements are necessary to manage PMS.

Fact: Some nutrients, particularly calcium, have evidence supporting a role in symptom management, but dietary supplements are not automatically necessary for everyone. ACOG recommends discussing PMS products and supplements with a healthcare professional because some products have limited evidence or may interact with medications.

Conclusion

So, does the body need different foods at different times of the menstrual cycle? Not in the way social media often suggests.

The evidence does indicate that hormonal fluctuations can influence appetite, energy intake and possibly energy expenditure. For some women, these changes are noticeable, particularly during the luteal phase. Nutritional priorities such as iron, calcium, protein, fibre, hydration and overall dietary quality remain important throughout the month.

The most useful approach is therefore not strict “cycle syncing”, but cycle-aware nutrition: understand your own symptoms, respond to changes in hunger, maintain adequate nutrient intake and avoid unnecessary dietary restrictions.

Nutrition should work with the menstrual cycle, not become another source of stress.

(By Neha Kanodia, Senior Executive Nutritionist, Cloudnine Hospital,Faridabad)

The biological age of ovaries may be influenced by the environment surrounding the organs, rather than being an entirely irreversible process. A new experiment done on mice found that older ovaries became biologically younger after being transplanted into younger animals, restoring and extending their ability to support pregnancy.

The research, led by scientists at Harvard Medical School, body's environment may influence how quickly the ovaries age. The findings could help researchers investigate treatments aimed at preserving ovarian function and fertility for longer in women.

Older Ovaries Produced Healthy Offspring In Younger Mice

The researchers transplanted ovaries from 13-month-old mice into younger mice that were four months old. The older donor mice had crossed their reproductive age.

Four to five months after transplantation, the younger recipients gave birth to healthy offspring, even though the transplanted ovaries were 17 to 18 months of age.

The same effect was not observed when older ovaries were transplanted into older recipients. This suggested that the recipient's biological environment, rather than the age of the ovaries alone, affected their reproductive function.

The team also performed the reverse experiment. When young ovaries were transplanted into older mice, the ovaries showed signs of accelerated ageing.

Also read: Heart Health In Women After Pregnancy: Why Pre-Eclampsia And Gestational Complications Matter Years Later

More About The Experiment

The researchers developed an ovarian ageing clock called OvaAge to observe the changes. The clock uses patterns of gene activity to ascertain an ovary's molecular age.

The results showed that the molecular age of older ovaries dropped when they were placed in younger animals. Conversely, young ovaries in older recipients aged faster.

The researchers also observed that older ovaries in younger hosts showed reduced inflammatory activity, while young ovaries in older hosts showed increased inflammation.

Also read: Children’s Mental Health In The Digital Age: Can Governments Protect Them Without Restricting Internet Access? | Interview

Effects Of Ovaries On Ageing Of Other Organs

The study also explored whether the ovaries affect ageing elsewhere in the body. When young ovaries were transplanted into older mice, researchers observed that the molecular ages of the brain, liver and uterus also dropped. The findings suggest that the ovaries may also influence other organs through hormones or other signals.

The researchers also identified changes in gene activity and cellular processes linked to inflammation, metabolism and tissue maintenance. Understanding these signals could help scientists investigate whether some effects of ovarian ageing can be targeted without an organ transplant.

Study's Scope In Women's Fertility

Ovarian ageing refers to a decline in both the number and quality of eggs. This reduces women's fertility as they grow older. The ovaries also produce hormones, including oestrogen, that affect overall health.

The new findings spark the possibility that the environment surrounding the ovaries could be a target for future treatments to preserve ovarian function.

If researchers can identify the signals that allowed older ovaries to function in younger mice, they may eventually be able to investigate ways to reproduce those effects without transplantation. But substantial research is still needed to move ahead.

The study was based mice, and ovarian biology, reproductive ageing and fertility outcomes differ significantly between mice and humans.