The healing power of blue M&Ms

Scientists have discovered that the colouring in blue M&M sweets could help patients with spinal injuries.

The food dye that gives the sweet its distinctive tint – a compound known as Brilliant Blue G – can block a chemical which makes injuries worse by causing inflammation and destroying cells.
Secondary spinal cord damage can often cause more problems than the original wound, but researchers have found that treatment with Brilliant Blue G reduces the size of the lesion and also improves recovery.
But there was an unfortunate side-effect on laboratory rats used in the experiment – their skin temporarily turned bright blue. The dye also needs to be injected into a vein within 15 minutes to be effective.