Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio.
Speaker 1: Hey brain Stuff, I'm Lauren Vogel Bomb and this is
Speaker 1: another episode from our archives. The one dependable thing about
Speaker 1: diet ads is that they're sure to rear up at
Speaker 1: the beginning of the year. Today's classic regards a recent
Speaker 1: one that involves eating activated charcoal. Is that a good idea?
Speaker 1: And why are people doing it? Hey brain Stuff, Lauren
Speaker 1: Vogel bam here. Maybe you don't cringe at charcoal concoctions
Speaker 1: that turn your teeth temporarily black in the pursuit of
Speaker 1: a gleaming smile, but charcoal smoothies. If a line must
Speaker 1: be drawn, perhaps swilling a thick, earthy smoothie with the
Speaker 1: unappealing hue of a mud puddle presents just such an opportunity.
Speaker 1: Activated charcoal, the same stuff left over after you grilla steak,
Speaker 1: is making its way into everything from smoothies and juices
Speaker 1: to pasta and bread. It's widely touted as having detoxifying properties,
Speaker 1: and in some cases this is true. You'll find activated
Speaker 1: charcoal in water filters, toothpastes, and facial cleansers, where it
Speaker 1: does trap pollutants. Its ability to cling to certain chemicals
Speaker 1: and toxins, is why it's used as an emergency treatment
Speaker 1: for poisonings and overdoses. Just a fifty gram dose of
Speaker 1: activated charcoal has the surface area of about seven football fields.
Speaker 1: That's a lot of little nooks and crannies that can
Speaker 1: be used for absorption, all created by the high heat
Speaker 1: burning of wood or coconut to create an ingestible carbon.
Speaker 1: And yes, I said adsorb, not absorb. Absorption is what
Speaker 1: happens when something soaks in. Adsorption is what happens when
Speaker 1: something sticks on. Because of all of those crevices and
Speaker 1: activated charcoal, you might say that its surface is molecularly sticky,
Speaker 1: though certainly the word absorb is fine to use. Colloquially,
Speaker 1: activated charcoal superpowers are, however, relegated to the digestive tract. Sure,
Speaker 1: it can work as a powerful d cleaner on surfaces
Speaker 1: like teeth and skin, but it really shines by trapping
Speaker 1: poisons anywhere along the journey from ingestion to expulsion. There
Speaker 1: are misguided assumptions fueling the charcoal taking trend, though, including
Speaker 1: the idea that the substance can absorb any so called
Speaker 1: toxin in the body to improve your overall health. Adding
Speaker 1: activated charcoal to food and drink for frequent use could
Speaker 1: actually cause nutritional issues because it indiscriminately absorbs vitamins and
Speaker 1: minerals too. Nutritionist Pip Read told The Huffington Post activated
Speaker 1: charcoal doesn't decipher between toxins and good nutrients, so taking
Speaker 1: it too regularly or with food means that the charcoal
Speaker 1: will also absorb the nutrients in your system. The same
Speaker 1: goes with any medications you take. We recommend do skepticism
Speaker 1: about any nutritional trend that promises to detoxify you. Your
Speaker 1: digestive system and liver do an excellent job of that
Speaker 1: already and frequently. The best way to keep yourself detoxified
Speaker 1: is to eat a balanced diet of veged boles and
Speaker 1: proteins to keep those systems working well. I know that's
Speaker 1: less Instagram herble, but it's more scientifically accurate. Today's episode
Speaker 1: is based on the article why are people eating activated Charcoal?
Speaker 1: On how stuff Works dot com? Written by Laura L. Dave.
Speaker 1: Brain Stuff is production of Our Heart Radio in partnership
Speaker 1: with how stuff works dot Com. It is produced by
Speaker 1: Tyler Klang. For more podcasts my Heart Radio, visit the
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