A concerning new trend has emerged in wellness circles, with social media influencers promoting the consumption of methylene blue - a synthetic textile dye with potentially serious health consequences.
What is Methylene Blue?
Methylene blue is a synthetic dye first created in the late 19th century, known for its deep blue colour when dissolved in water. While it has legitimate medical uses, including treatment for methaemoglobinemia and historical use against malaria, it has recently been co-opted by wellness enthusiasts.
Prominent figures like Robert F Kennedy Jr and Joe Rogan have been associated with the substance, with Kennedy appearing in a viral video squirting blue liquid into a glass. American venture capitalist Bryan Johnson, known for his extreme anti-ageing regime, has also reportedly taken the dye.
Questionable Health Claims Versus Medical Reality
Wellness advocates claim methylene blue offers numerous benefits including improved cognition, increased energy, anti-ageing effects, stress relief and antioxidant properties. On platforms like TikTok, influencers proudly display blue tongues after consuming the substance directly.
However, medical experts strongly dispute these claims. Dr Ian Musgrave, a molecular pharmacologist at the University of Adelaide, notes that while animal studies showed promise for conditions mimicking Alzheimer's, it "largely failed in human clinical trials for treatment of Alzheimer's disease".
The Victorian Poisons Centre explicitly states: "There is no current evidence that methylene blue improves health or brain function in healthy individuals."
Serious Health Risks and Rising Poison Cases
Australian poison centres have reported significant increases in calls related to methylene blue ingestion. The Western Australia Poisons Information Centre recorded nine calls this year compared to just one annually in previous years. Queensland and Victoria have both received eight calls already this year - more than the previous four years combined.
Carol Wylie, manager of the Queensland Poisons Information Centre, warns that consuming unregistered methylene blue can cause "serious side-effects including nausea, vomiting, rapid heart rate, dizziness, confusion, and skin discoloration".
Perhaps most dangerously, methylene blue can interact with common antidepressants like SSRIs, potentially causing serotonin syndrome - a potentially fatal condition. At high doses, it can paradoxically cause the blood disorder it's meant to treat.
Despite its historical medical uses, experts agree that healthy individuals consuming methylene blue for wellness purposes are taking significant risks with unproven benefits. As this dangerous trend continues to spread through social media, medical authorities remain concerned about the potential harm to followers of wellness influencers.
