Candy and medicine may be too close for comfort

The line between candy and medicine can be a fine one, at least when it comes to looks, a study finds.

Researchers tested 30 kindergarten students and 30 teachers to see if they could distinguish popular candies from over-the-counter medicines. And although you might be thinking you could tell the difference, even the adults didn’t get it right 100% of the time.

The students guessed correctly on average 70.5%, while teachers averaged 77.6% correct answers. Students who could read (these were kindergartners, remember) averaged 79.3% right answers, and those who couldn’t had an average 67% correct answers.

Hardest to distinguish were M&Ms from the cold medicine Coricidin, SweeTarts from heartburn remedies Mylanta and Tums, and Reese’s Pieces from the sinus medication Sine-Off.

Study participants were also asked about how medicines were stored at home; 78% said they didn’t keep them locked and out of reach, while only 10% did.

The best part of the study? Among the researchers were two (now seventh-grade) students from Ayer Elementary School in Cincinnati, Ohio: Casey Gittleman and Eleanor Bishop. They were scheduled to present their study today at the American Academy of Pediatrics’ national conference in Boston.

Said Bishop in a news release, The candy “most frequently mistaken were circular objects, those similar in color and shine, and those with no distinguishable markings.” Added Gittleman, “Interventions to educate families about safe storage of medicines, and manufacturing medicines to have distinguishable appearances may help to reduce unintentional ingestions of medications.”