Last week, a short video of one of America’s most prominent politicians adding a blue dye to his water turned a niche Victorian-era medicine into an overnight sensation.
Robert F Kennedy Jr, the presumptive US health chief, was recorded on a flight using a pipette to add droplets of the cobalt-blue liquid to his drink.
The 72-year-old, known as RFK Jr, is not shown consuming the liquid – nor has he commented on what the dye was.
However, influencers online believe they know the answer: a supposed ‘wonder drug’ called methylene blue which is also used to clean fish tanks.
‘RFK Jr [is] putting methylene blue in his water while flying,’ said Vance Elrod, a US professional mixed martial arts fighter, who shared the video last Wednesday on the social media platform X.
Since then, Elrod’s post, in which he expands on the supposed health benefits of the dye including protecting the body from radiation while flying, has been viewed by more than 20million people.
RFK Jr, nephew of former US president John F Kennedy and sometime vaccine-sceptic, would not be the first celebrity to back the use of methylene blue.
Last month, US actor Mel Gibson claimed on a podcast that three of his friends who were diagnosed with stage four cancer, the most advanced and deadly form, were able to cure themselves by taking a cocktail of alternative remedies including methylene blue.
Last week, a short video of one of America’s most prominent politicians adding a blue dye to his water turned a niche Victorian-era medicine into an overnight sensation
Robert F Kennedy Jr, the presumptive US health chief, was recorded on a flight using a pipette to add droplets of the cobalt-blue liquid to his drink
Influencers online believe they know what it was: a supposed ‘wonder drug’ known as methylene blue which is also used to clean fish tanks
And, the same month, former Hollyoaks actor Davinia Taylor also promoted methylene blue to her 1.2 million Instagram followers as a possible remedy ‘for cancer’.
Other health influencers have claimed that the blue dye can protect against infections, combat depression, improve focus and even prevent dementia.
Methylene blue is already approved for medical use as a treatment for a rare life-threatening blood disorder.
And, fascinatingly, experts say that there is evidence to suggest it may also help combat a number of health problems including urinary tract infections and depression.
However, experts have warned that, for some people, taking methylene blue could trigger dangerous side-effects.
So, what is methylene blue – and should you take it?
Methylithionium chloride, also known as methylene blue, was first developed in the 19th century as a treatment for malaria.
Malaria parasites are thought to feed on red blood cells and sap them of hemoglobin, cells which are crucial for transporting oxygen from the lungs to other parts of the body.
Former Hollyoaks actor Davinia Taylor has promoted methylene blue to her 1.2million Instagram followers as a possible remedy ‘for cancer’
But methyline blue has been shown to boost hemoglobin levels in the blood, meaning a greater amount of oxygen reaches vital organs.
The dark green powder, which turns blue in water, is considered to be one of the first purpose-made medicines.
Over the years, it has also been used to treat a variety of conditions including sepsis and carbon monoxide poisoning. It has usually been injected directly into the blood.
During the World Wars it was even given to soldiers to ward off infection, due to its antiseptic properties, leading some to complain that it was turning their urine blue.
However, experts said methylene blue quickly fell out of favour in the second half of the 20th century.
‘It was a popular Victorian medicine because there weren’t any other options,’ says Professor Penny Ward, a pharmaceutical expert at King’s College London.
‘But once modern drugs arrived on the scene, there wasn’t much use for methylene blue any more. Yes, it had anti-infection properties, but it was nowhere near as effective as modern treatments like antibiotics.’
Today, one of its most common uses is disinfecting fish tanks from fungus.
In medicine, it is only regularly used to treat one condition: a rare blood disorder called methemoglobinemia.
The condition, which affects around 20,000 people in the UK, occurs when the body lacks the right cells to transport enough oxygen to crucial organs.
In some cases, methemoglobinemia can be inherited, meaning patients are born with it. However, for most, the condition is triggered by exposure to toxic chemicals.
Methemoglobinemia can trigger blue-tinged skin, dark brown blood, fatigue, seizures and, if left untreated, death.
Methylene blue is currently the only effective treatment for the severe condition.
This is because of the drug’s ability to boost the levels of oxygen-transporting hemoglobin in the blood.
And it is this function that has, in recent years, largely led to health influencers branding it a wonder drug.
Some experts argue that, by increasing the amount of oxygen in the blood, methylene blue can improve the health of the mitochondria – the powerhouse of cells in the human body.
In doing so, they argue, this can slow down ageing or even prevent cancer – which occurs when cells malfunction.
However, perhaps the most excitement is over the potential use of methylene blue for preventing dementia – the incurable degenerative brain disease that affects nearly one million Britons.
The exact cause of dementia is unknown, but one theory is that it is triggered by malfunctioning mitochondria in the brain.
For this reason, in 2020, a Chinese paper published in the medical journal Translation Neurodegeneration suggested that methylene blue be considered as a possible preventative treatment for dementia.
Another proposed use for the blue dye is treating the mental health disorders depression and bipolar.
By improving the function of the mitochondria, supporters argue, this should also boost levels of serotonin – the happy hormone – in the brain.
In fact, studies do show that methylene blue can increase serotonin levels. Some research even suggests it can alleviate mental health issues.
A 2011 Canadian study involving 37 patients with bipolar disorder, which causes extreme mood swings, found that those who were given methylene blue saw a significant improvement in their symptoms compared to those given a dummy drug.
And a US study in 1987 of 13 severely depressed patients found that those who took methylene blue saw a marked reduction in depressive thoughts within three weeks of taking the drug.
Separately, there is even research that methylene blue could be effective at combatting recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs), which are bladder bugs that repeatedly return despite antibiotic treatment.
There are thought to be roughly one million people in the UK suffering with recurrent UTIs – the majority of whom are women.
But, according to a Brazilian study published in 2020, methylene blue is thought to have antiseptic properties, meaning taking it could stop bacteria infections from forming.
While these studies are encouraging, experts say there are several caveats to consider.
First, the majority of methylene blue studies are too small to be considered significant.
‘There is some logic behind the arguments that taking methylene blue can have big benefits like slowing down dementia,’ says Prof Ward.
‘It’s possible that boosting hemoglobin levels could keep the mitochondria healthy but, at this point, it’s just a theory. You can’t make scientific conclusions based on studies involving fewer than 50 people.
‘We need much bigger studies looking at its effects before we can say anything with certainty.’
Crucially, experts say that experimenting with methylene blue without the supervision of a doctor could have serious consequences.
Certain ethnicities, including Asian, African and some Mediterranean, lack an enzyme, called G6PD, needed to break down excess levels of serotonin.
This means that, for some, taking methylene blue, especially in combination with SSRIs, can trigger a potentially life-threatening condition called serotonin syndrome.
Symptoms of serotonin syndrome include confusion, agitation, muscle twitching, and, in severe cases, seizures, an irregular heartbeat and unconsciousness.
‘Some people do not realise they lack this enzyme until they get serotonin syndrome,’ says Prof Ward. ‘At present, the risks of experimenting with methylene blue outweigh the potential benefits.’
