Blue M&Ms Can Reduce Spine Injuries. WTF?

Remember when blue M&Ms first came out and we all ate scads of them? Well, think back ... way back ... do you remember your back feeling any different?

This is nuts. CNN reported today that "The same blue food dye found in M&Ms and Gatorade could be used to reduce damage caused by spine injuries, offering a better chance of recovery, according to new research."

Apparently, when rats with spinal cord injuries were injected with the Brilliant Blue G compound, they were able to walk again — the side effect being that they turned temporarily blue. Click the link above to see the lab rat with blue feet, mouth and snout.

We know where this could lead — can't you just see it? Blue people limping around the streets, joyfully free of their wheelchairs, but with Elphaba-esque problems? It's possible.

Joking aside, the current treatment for spinal cord injuries is steroids, and it only seems to work for about 15 percent of patients, if that. This treatment could mean big news — walking again news — for a lot of injured people.

Don't you want to just go out and buy a pack of blue M&Ms right now?

Photo courtesy of sun dazed@flickr