The researchers of the University of Rochester Medical Center reported on Monday that the best treatment for spinal cord injuries may well be a common and safe food additive - the FD&C blue dye No. 1!

Lead researcher Maiken Nedergaard and colleagues said that the commonly used blue dye worked in an extraordinarily similar manner to a lab compound that helps block nerve inflammation after a spinal cord injury.

The researchers substantiated the findings of their 'chance' discovery by infusing the blue dye (BBG) in rats with spinal cord injury - they found that the rats given the BBG treatment recovered comparatively much faster than rats that went without the mentioned treatment. However, the sole side-effect of the treatment was that the rats turned blue!

Elaborating on the research leading to the effectiveness of BBG in treating spine injuries, Nedergaard's team said that it prevented the rapid nerve cells damage after the spinal cord injury, via the P2X7R receptor or doorway.

The researchers said: "We found that IV administration of the P2X7R inhibitor BBG significantly reduced the severity of spinal cord damage without any evident toxicity.

Remarkably, BBG is a derivative of the widely used food additive FD&C Blue number 1. Currently, more than 1 million pounds of FD&C blue dye No. 1 are consumed yearly in the United States, corresponding to a daily intake of 16 mg per person."