Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center found that when they injected the compound Brilliant Blue G (BBG) into rats suffering spinal cord injuries, the rodents were able to walk again, albeit with a limp.
The only side effect was that the treated mice temporarily turned blue.
While I’m sure this blue dye is used in a lot of other foods besides Gatorade and M&Ms, the visuals of EMT rushing to the scene of someone who may have injured their back and doing a Gatorade dunk on them is funny. Of course they’d turn blue.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/07/28/spinal.injury.blue.dye/index.html