Doctor condemns ‘ridiculous’ new trend of placing a blue antifungal chemical used to clean fish tanks on your TONGUE to slow down ageing
- A doctor has slammed a trend where influencers are consuming methylene blue
- The substance is typically used as a fish tank cleaner and a dye in science labs
- Dr Darren Saunders, from Sydney, mocked the craze in a series of tweets
- Influencers claim it is ‘metabolic or cognitive enhancer’ and say it ‘slows ageing’
- Dr Saunders, a biomedical scientist, said he ‘can’t stop laughing’ at the craze
An Australian doctor has slammed a bizarre new fitness trend that sees men and women consume a chemical called methylene blue, which is typically used to clean fish tanks and in science labs as a dye.
Biomedical scientist Dr Darren Saunders, from Sydney, took to Twitter to mock fitness influencers pushing the fad they claim ‘slows down your chain of ageing’.
In a series of Tweets, the doctor said he ‘can’t stop laughing’ at the craze where influencers flaunt their blue tongues after sucking on methylene blue that is a disinfectant, anti-fungal, and anti-parasitic cleaner used in aquariums.
Australian doctor Darren Saunders took to Twitter to slam a new trend where fitness influencers consume methylene blue, a substance typically used to disinfect fish tanks
The biomedical scientist, from Sydney, took to Twitter to mock fitness influencers pushing the fad they claim ‘slows down your chain of ageing’
In a series of Tweets Dr Saunders (pictured) said he ‘can’t stop laughing’ at the craze where influencers flaunt their blue tongues after consuming the blue substance they claim is a ‘metabolic or cognitive enhancer’
‘I have just discovered the trend of fitness influencers sticking methylene blue on their tongue as a “metabolic or cognitive enhancer” and I can’t stop laughing,’ he wrote.
American health and fitness influencer Ben Greenfield, from Spokane in Washington, has been posting about the fad on his popular Facebook and Instagram pages listing its apparent benefits.
‘This is one of my favourite nootropics due to its wide-ranging benefits that include: enhanced mitochondrial function, provides neuroprotective effects against brain inflammation, increased memory and cognitive function, enhance the effects of light and oxygen therapies, and much more,’ he said.
American influencer Ben Greenfield (pictured) from Spokane in Washington, has been posting about the fad on his popular Facebook and Instagram pages listing its apparent benefits
However Dr Saunders was having none of it and shared a story of his university days when someone dropped a bottle of the blue substance creating the ‘worst mess he had ever seen’.
‘OMG, of course it also “slows down your chain of ageing” – whatever the hell that is,’ he Tweeted.
‘I remember a fellow grad student accidently smashing a bottle of this stuff in the lab late one night. Worst mess I’ve ever seen. Her mouth, eyes etc went blue and for months afterwards, everything would start to turn blue every time the benches got wet.’
American endurance runner, Jordan Hasey, also promoted methylene blue, which comes as a lozenge, saying it helps ‘to improve focus, endurance and sleep’, but some of her followers weren’t convinced.
American endurance runner, Jordan Hasey (pictured) also promoted methylene blue saying it helps ‘to improve focus, endurance and sleep’ but some of her followers weren’t convinced
‘Science literally supports none of your claims. In fact, it’s been rubbished across the board,’ one person said.
‘For anyone reading the comments: methylene blue is known to cause a range of harmful health effects, and can be especially dangerous for people taking SSRIs or other psych meds. Please talk to your doctor before considering trying this!’ wrote another.
While methylene blue is used as a disinfectant for fish tanks and in science labs as a dye, it has been used to treat some medical conditions intravenously but can be toxic in large doses.