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....
