The Scary Side Effects of Chugging Charcoal
This health fad isn't just ineffective—it's actually dangerous.
PHOTO VIA SHUTTERSTOCK
Noticed an uptick in the number of people sipping gray-black juice lately? Then you’ve witnessed the charcoal trend first-hand. Weird as it sounds, charcoal is the latest supposedly good-for-you ingredient to be added to juice drinks and cleanses.
Advocates say that activated charcoal (meaning it’s been heated at such a high temperature, it becomes super porous and absorbent) removes toxins from the body, improves digestive health, and gives skin a dewy glow.
Charcoal is also catching on as a teeth whitener, with more people reportedly brushing with the chalky, ashy stuff. Considering that charcoal has long been used for a variety of ancient medicinal purposes, we’re curious: Is it just another fad, or is there some science behind it?
Turns out, chugging charcoal can be very dangerous. “Activated charcoal is given to people who take too much medication because charcoal is so absorbent and can counteract an overdose,” says Patricia Raymond, M.D., a gastroenterologist in Virginia Beach. “But if you’re drinking it and you also are on any meds, even birth control pills, the charcoal is likely to absorb the drugs. So you risk having them become ineffective.”
There have also been recent reports of charcoal triggering gastrointestinal trouble, such as inflammation of the colon. Andresearch recently published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine detailed a case of charcoal causing a lung infection. “If the charcoal goes down the wrong way and gets into your respiratory system, it’s like giving yourself coal miner’s lung,” she says.
As for whitening your teeth with it, old medical guides reveal that charcoal has a history as a whitener—but the dangers outweigh the benefits. “You might remove surface stains from your teeth, but you also risk a black tongue, plus stomach trouble or interactions with medicine you take if it’s ingested,” says Gigi Meinecke, a spokesperson for the Academy of General Dentistry and a dentist in Potomac, Maryland. “You’ll probably get the same whitening results using a natural toothpaste, without the hazards.”
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