Friday, July 31, 2009

I Knew M&M Were Good For You!

Have you heard about how blue M&Ms can cure spinal injuries? Well, not exactly, but close! Seems the blue food dye, found in blue M&Ms and blue Gatorade and other blue foods, may have a positive use, besides that lovely blue color in our snack. From National Geographic News...
Fifteen minutes after this rat was paralyzed, researchers injected the rodent with Brilliant Blue G dye, a derivative of common food coloring Blue Number One. The dye reduced inflammation of the spinal cord, which allowed the rats to take clumsy steps—but not walk—within weeks, a new study says.

Clumsy steps sound like walking to me, clumsy walking, but walking. Seems the injection has to be given immediately after the injury and in the tests were given within 15 minutes. They believe that the BBG blocks a chemical that kills healthy spinal cord cells around the damaged area and that can cause more damage than the original injury did.

According to the scientists, this will need more study before any sort of human clinical trials begin, but as far as they can determine, there are no side effects.
Actually there is one. It turned the mice temporarily blue.

Is that not the cutest thing you ever saw? Awww....

13 comments:

  1. All those M&M's I've been eating have been for health reasons - I Knew it!

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  2. Thanks! That's all the justification I need!

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  3. will I have to buy the bags of the mixed colored M&M and eat them all just to get the blue ones? Oh, what a trial!

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  4. Now all I want for christmas is a blue rat.

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  5. ask any parent of a baby (human, not rat) starting to walk ... clumsy steps = walking!

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  6. I always thought it was the green M & Ms that are good for you.

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  7. I'm not a rat fan, but your picture does inspire one to have fluffy feelings, and I do like blue. Interesting information as well.

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  8. wow! poor mousy though. not that he cares, i'm sure! :-)

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  9. That's a very unique little mouse! Interesting info, did not hear about this. Thanks for your comment the other day. I made some changes to my site. Drop by when you have the time! www.nybookcafe

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  10. This is all the information I need to justify eating a one pound bag of M&Ms. Thank you!

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  11. It's a public service I was happy to do...lol

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  12. thats very cute. i asked mom if i could have a blue mouse as a pet. mom thinks i might eat him. =O !!

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  13. no blue mice for you Bandie and NO blue M&Ms because they are chocolate and, you might not know this, but you are a DOG!

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