Speaker 1: Welcome to brain stuff from how stuff works, Hey, brain stuff,
Speaker 1: Lauren vocal bomb here. Maybe you don't cringe at charcoal
Speaker 1: concoctions that turn your teeth temporarily black in the pursuit
Speaker 1: of a gleaming smile, but charcoal smoothies. If a line
Speaker 1: must be drawn, perhaps swilling a thick, earthy smoothie with
Speaker 1: the unappealing hue of a mud puddle presents just such
Speaker 1: an opportunity. Activated charcoal, the same stuff left over after
Speaker 1: you grilla steak, is making its way into everything from
Speaker 1: smoothies and juices to pasta and bread. It's widely touted
Speaker 1: as having detoxifying properties, and in some cases this is true.
Speaker 1: You'll find activated charcoal in water filters, toothpastes, and facial cleansers,
Speaker 1: where it does trap pollutants. Its ability to cling to
Speaker 1: certain chemicals and toxins is why it's used as an
Speaker 1: emergency treatment for poisonings and overdoses. Just a fifty gram
Speaker 1: dose of activated charcoal has the surface area of about
Speaker 1: seven football field olds. That's a lot of little nook
Speaker 1: and crannies that can be used for absorption, all created
Speaker 1: by the high heat burning of wood or coconut to
Speaker 1: create an ingestible carbon. And yes, I said adsorb, not absorb.
Speaker 1: Absorption is what happens when something soaks in. Adsorption is
Speaker 1: what happens when something sticks on. Because of all of
Speaker 1: those crevices and activated charcoal, you might say that its
Speaker 1: surface is molecularly sticky, though certainly the word absorb is
Speaker 1: fine to use colloquially. Activated charcoals superpowers are, however, relegated
Speaker 1: to the digestive tract. Sure it can work as a
Speaker 1: powerful deep cleaner on surfaces like teeth and skin, but
Speaker 1: it really shines by trapping poisons anywhere along the journey
Speaker 1: from ingestion to expulsion. There are misguided assumptions fueling the
Speaker 1: charcoal taking trend, though, including the idea that the substance
Speaker 1: can absorb any so called toxin in the body to
Speaker 1: improve your overall health. Adding activated charcoal to food and
Speaker 1: drink for frequent use could actually cause nutritional issues because
Speaker 1: it indiscriminately absorbs vitamins and minerals too. Nutritionist Pip Read
Speaker 1: told The Huffington Post activated charcoal doesn't decipher between toxins
Speaker 1: and good nutrients, so taking it too regularly or with
Speaker 1: food means that the charcoal will also absorb the nutrients
Speaker 1: in your system. The same goes with any medications you take.
Speaker 1: We recommend do skepticism about any nutritional trend that promises
Speaker 1: to detoxify you. Your digestive system and liver do an
Speaker 1: excellent job of that already and frequently. The best way
Speaker 1: to keep yourself detoxified is to eat a balanced diet
Speaker 1: of vegetables and proteins to keep those systems working well.
Speaker 1: I know that's less instagrammable, but it's more scientifically accurate.
Speaker 1: Today's episode was written by Laurie L. Dove and produced
Speaker 1: by Tyler Klang. For more on this and lots of
Speaker 1: other topics that will stick with you, visit our home planet,
Speaker 1: How Stuff Works Outcome