Be careful with dietary supplements in the form of fruit gums

The Poison Information Center in Erfurt has urged caution with food supplements in the form of fruit gums. There is a risk that children will mistake the gummy bears for normal sweets and then snack on them in large quantities, said Dagmar Prasa, head of the Poison Information Center in Erfurt, to the German Press Agency. Such preparations should therefore always be kept out of the reach of children. A single overdose of these multivitamin preparations is not a major problem. "It becomes dangerous when this happens on a daily basis."

Intoxicating bears

Numerous food supplements are sold in shops and on the internet as multivitamin supplements especially for children, for example in the form of gummy bears. However, there are also fruit gummies that are sold for adults with active ingredients such as the sleep-inducing melatonin or even psychoactive substances such as hexahydrocannabinol (HHC). This is a semi-synthetic derivative that is obtained from the main active ingredient in cannabis.

This year, the Poison Control Center recorded ten cases in which children had consumed excessive amounts of food supplements - including, for the first time, inquiries about the consumption of fruit gums containing HHC and melatonin. In previous years, according to Prasa, there were only one or two cases of children confusing dietary supplements with sweets.

According to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, HHC is offered as a "legal substitute" for cannabis, as it is not currently subject to the German Narcotics Act. The scientific data on HHC is still insufficient. The health effects of ingesting too much - even accidentally by children - cannot yet be assessed with certainty. However, the occurrence of serious poisoning due to the risk of confusion with food must be taken into consideration, according to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment.

More consultation cases

The Poison Information Center in Erfurt is operated jointly by the federal states of Thuringia, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. It is most frequently contacted about poisoning hazards in the home (almost 85 percent of cases). According to head Prasa, the nine doctors and pharmacists advised around 28,200 callers this year, 5.2 percent more than in the previous year. More than one in three cases involved children of baby to pre-school age who had possibly poisoned themselves.

From August to October, the experts were also consulted in six cases in which children and young people had taken the "Hot Chip Challenge". According to Prasa, they had complained of nausea, stomach pain and a burning sensation in the mouth and throat after eating the extremely spicy tortilla chips. The "hot chips" were a phenomenon on the internet in particular due to their spiciness, which spread through videos on social media. The product, which has since been recalled, was advertised as a "challenge for the bravest".