Blue Food Coloring Used In M&Ms Has Actual Medical Use
Now, you know what they say about green M&Ms. That isn't true. But have you heard what they say about blue M&Ms? That the dye they contain can help the body to repair damage from spinal cord injuries? That one's true. Oh, and the dye also turns rodents blue.
This hyperintelligent shade of the color blue was discovered by researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center. When administered intravenously immediately after a spinal cord injury, the dye inhibits the action of Adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. After an injury, the body releases ATP, which kills off healthy cells and keeps patients' spinal cords from actually healing.
Back in 2004, [lead researcher Maiken] Nedergaard's team discovered that the spinal cord was rich in a molecule called P2X7, which is also known as "the death receptor" for its ability to allow ATP to latch onto motor neurons and send the signals which eventually kill them.
Nedergaard knew that BBG could thwart the function of P2X7, and its similarity to a blue food dye approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1982 gave her the confidence to test it intravenously.
It worked. The rats given BBG immediately after their injury could walk again with a limp. Those that didn't receive a dose never regained their mobility.
Nedergaard told CNN that there is currently no standard treatment for patients with spinal injury when they reach the hospital emergency room.
"Right now we only treat 15 percent of the patients we receive with steroids and many hospitals question if that even works for that 15 percent; it's a very moderate benefit to only a subset of patients. So right now 85 percent of patients are untreated," she said.
It helps mammals regain our ability to walk, AND it produces cool-looking rats! Science! What's not to love?
(Photos: Artist's rendering; University of Rochester)
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Comments:
What about the green ones?
That rat is kinda cool looking.
Now, you know what they say about green M&Ms.
Man, I remember when this rumor started going around. I was in middle school, and kids went CRAZY trying to find all of the green M&M's. Yeah, we were easily amused as kids.
@itsallme: There was a rumor in the '90s that green M&Ms that either caused sperm counts to go down or made you extra randy. Depended on who told the story.
@zegolf: I only heard that the green one was the "sexy" one. A little Googling (Not dirty) and I found a Snopes article on how people thought they were an aphrodisiac.
So do humans who recieve this treatment also have thir ears and feet turn blue? I mean, I think the tradeoff would be worth it, but they probably wouldn't be as adorable as our little rodent friend up there.
"It worked. The rats given BBG immediately after their injury could walk again with a limp."
Is that saying they broke the spines of the rats?
I'm no opponent to using animals for research but that's gotta tug on you a bit.
that is an adorable rat, and i actually feel more inclined to eat m&m despite my lack of spine damage.
How long before bags of blue M&Ms start popping up as magic pills?
FYI, skin coloring goes away after about a week.
Consumerist, Paul Karason here. Hi!
You apparently forgot that you wrote an article about blue things and health already. It was about me drinking silver for my health. [consumerist.com]
That being said, I am against this current "cure" you are touting. Why? I have a feeling that all these new blue people will cut into my lucrative Papa Smurf Appearance business. I make a pretty penny showing up at events wearing red pants, shoes, and hat. I'm like Tron Guy, but more recognizable by small children. Please Consumerist, I have bills to pay.
Who's been feeding rats M&Ms and what does PETA have to say about all this?
@Dabby: The same thing they say about most animals, like your pets. Put them down. In 2008 alone, they euthanized over 95% of the animals they "rescued".
So I'm a vegetarian and care for the health and welfare of animals... but there is still a large part of me that wants a blue rat. Come on! Look at that guy! He's just the cutest!
On another note, it's interesting to hear something positive about dye. Normally all you hear is Red #40 will kill everything!
Laura, you are all about the awesome nerd references this morning! You are one hoopy frood.
Willy Wonka has known about this for years. Why do you think all of the Oompa-Loompas were blue?
@AreYouConfusedYet?HowAboutNow?: in hindsight, probably one of the dumbest things we ever could have believed, but puberty was upon us, so anything that was remotely close to an explanation of what was going on was good enough in our books.
@Dabby: I am less concerned about feeding them blue M&Ms and more concerned that researchers are deliberately breaking their spinal columns to try out the candy cure. Sick people.
The whole blue connotation had me thinking there was a link to Viagra. Damn, I'm so disappointed. ;)
Yes my spinal cord is saved. Now I have diabetes thanks M&Ms
@Hatin'SharkWeek_GitEmSteveDave: I tried to think of a way to work the word "Hooloovoo" into my comment but couldn't come up with one. :D
@Hatin'SharkWeek_GitEmSteveDave:
Very true. They have a huge walk-in freezer. If they were really saving animals and re-homeing them, what the heck would they need the freezer for?
@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!): I might have been able to, but I woke up this morning with this Belgium headache.
@starzshine: That is indeed the most adorable rat I have ever seen. And I have known some very adorable rats.
Does anyone else get annoyed by articles like this (not the consumerist one specifically, but the actual news articles consumerist links to) which imply that a product has a health benefit because a specific compound used to treat something is found in microscopic amounts in that product? For a couple days I've been barraged with news stories about how M&M's can heal your spine. It's not as though they contain enough of the substance to actually help, but the article puts so much emphasis on the product it can be found in that it implies that all you have to do is eat a handful of M&M's after that bus hits you and you'll be A-Ok!
Whatever the study says, I can't but help to believe that they came upon this revelation in a situation akin to the "Junior Mints" scenario from Seinfeld.
@HiPwr: Maybe Violet, but I don't think expanding to a giant blueberry is a very good substitute for a spinal injury.
i agree. Also, the consumerist sum up of the article states that ATP kills off healthy cells, which isn't so. ATP is energy for cells. So this P2X7 gene is causing ATP to adhere to those motor neurons causing the motor neurons to send death signals to stop the mess. ATP is part of the downstream effect, and not a direct cause.
@Hatin'SharkWeek_GitEmSteveDave: They also advocated killing all the Michael Vick pit bulls - all but two of them were placed, most in adoptive homes. Of those two that weren't, one was put down because it was too aggressive, the other was very, very ill. But you keep on making a fuss because Obama swatted that fly, PETA!
So, the doctor said to me, "You have a choice. You will be stared at by small children the rest of your life. Do you want it to be because you are riding in a wheelchair or because you are blue?"
Bad things happened to Neo after he ate the Red M&M. Very bad things!
@starzshine: hmmmm... can't decide between the red death m&m's or the magical blue healthy ones .... decisions decisions
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Side effects of blue M&Ms include but are not limited to vomiting, diarrhea and loss of appetite.