“Blackisthenewrainbow,atleastinfoodtrends.Blackicecream,blackbread,blackmacarons,blackpasta,blackbeverages...they’rethefoodie’slatestInstagramdarling.”11

ConfusedAboutNutrition?AskaRegisteredDietitianNutritionist!Ifyouhavequestionsaboutwhetherthelatestfoodtrendisrightforyou,askaRegisteredDietitianNutritionist(RDN).EveryRDNhascompletedacollegecurriculuminnutritionscienceandanaccreditedtrainingprogram.Theycanhelpyouunderstandthescientificevidence(orlackofit)behindfoodanddiettrends,soyoucandecidewhatisbestforyou.Visiteatright.org! References1.NationalOrganicStandardsBoardTechnicalAdvisoryPanelReviewfortheUSDANationalOrganicProgram.UnitedStatesDepartmentofAgriculture,14Aug.2002,www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/Activated%20Charcoal%20Processing%20TR.pdf.Accessed28Sept.2017.2.“8WaysActivatedCharcoalCanHelpYouHeal&Detox.”Earth911.Com,27Sept.2017,earth911.com/living-well-being/8-ways-charcoal-can-help-you-heal-detox/.Accessed28Sept.2017.3.“BriefHistoryofActivatedCharcoal.”Buyactivatedcharcoal.com,CharcoalHouseLLC,www.buyactivatedcharcoal.com/activated_charcoal_history.Accessed26Sept.2017.4.Isbister,GK,etal.“FeasibilityofPrehospitalTreatmentwithActivatedCharcoal:WhoCouldWeTreat,WhoShouldWeTreat?”Emerg.Med.J.,vol.20,4Sept.2002,pp.375–378.,Accessed26Sept.2017.5.Zhenchao,Jia,etal.“SafetyAssessmentofDietaryBambooCharcoalPowder:A90-DaySubchronicOralToxicityandMutagenicityStudies.”FoodandChemicalToxicology,vol.75,13Nov.2014,pp.50–57.,doi:10.1016/j.fct.2014.11.002.Accessed26Sept.2017.6.“WHOModelListsofEssentialMedicines.”WorldHealthOrganization,www.who.int/medicines/publications/essentialmedicines/en/.Accessed26Sept.2017.7.“EverythingAddedtoFoodintheUnitedStates(EAFUS).”Accessdata.fda.gov,www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/fcn/fcnNavigation.cfm?rpt=eafusListing.Accessed28Sept.2017.8.Juurlink,DavidN.“ActivatedCharcoalforAcuteOverdose:AReappraisal.”BritishJournalofClinicalPharmacology,vol.81,no.3,26Sept.2015,pp.482–487.,doi:10.1111/bcp.12793.Accessed26Sept.2017.9.Lanquist,Lindsey.“ThisFoodTrendIsPretty,ButYouShouldDefinitelyAvoidIt.”SELF,15June2017,www.self.com/gallery/activated-charcoal.10.“ActivatedCharcoal:TheDetoxCure-All?(OrNot).”FoodInsight.org,www.foodinsight.org/activated-charcoal-detox-diet-health-science.11.Shreeves,Robin.“Isthecharcoalfoodtrenddangerous?”MNN-MotherNatureNetwork,MotherNatureNetwork,23Aug.2017,www.mnn.com/food/healthy-eating/blogs/charcoal-food-trend-dangerous.Accessed17Sept.2017.

IS ACTIVATED CHARCOAL IN FOODS AND

DRINKS HEALTHY OR A

HOAX?

DoreenGarelickExperimentalFoods

LabSection1LabStation5

October3,2017

AboutActivatedCharcoalActivatedcharcoalisasolid,porous,blackmaterialfromwhichallimpuritieshavebeenremoved.Itisusuallypreparedfromwood,vegetablesornutshells.1

WhatIstheActivatedCharcoalFoodTrend?Peopleareeatinganddrinkingfoodsandbeveragesthatincludeactivatedcharcoalwiththebeliefthatitwillhelpdetoxifytheirbodiesandperhapsprovideotherhealthbenefits.2Somepeoplethinkitwillalsohelpwithdigestiveproblemsandpreventahangover,butthere’snoscientificdatatosupportanyoftheseideas.Also,alotoffoodiesloveblackfoodsanddrinksbecausetheyjustlooksoawesome!

ActivatedCharcoalMayBeGoodForYou!Activatedcharcoalhasalongandsuccessfulhistoryofsafetyandhealthbenefits.AncientEgyptiandocumentsfromabout1500B.C.recordedthefirstuseofcharcoalformedicalpurposestoadsorbodorsfrominfectedwoundsandtheintestinaltract.3ThefamousGreekphysician,Hippocrates,documentedhisuseofingestedcharcoalfortreatingepilepsy,vertigoandanthraxinabout400B.C.3Today,activatedcharcoalisstillanimportantpartofmoderntreatmentsforpoisoningemergenciesinhospitalsaroundtheworld.4,5TheWorldHealthOrganizationevenincludesactivatedcharcoalinitsModelListofEssentialMedicines.6IntheU.S.,activatedcharcoalisanapprovedfoodadditiveontheFoodandDrugAdministration’slistofEverythingAddedtoFoodintheUnitedStates.7OrMaybeIt’sNot...?Buteatinganddrinkingfoodsandbeveragesthatcontainactivatedcharcoalalsohassomerisks.Itcanbindwithandremovesomeimportantvitaminsandmineralsfromthebody.Itmayalsopreventcompleteabsorptionofsomeprescriptionmedications.Oneofthepossiblesideeffectsofactivatedcharcoalcanbeconstipationandveryrarely,itcancauseintestinalblockage.8Asfordetoxification,itprobablywon’thelpverymuch.OneRegisteredDietitianNutritionistbelieves,“Theideathatactivatedcharcoalwillcleanseyourbodyfromtoxinsdoesn’tmakesense,asitwillonlybindtothingsinyourstomachandsmallintestine--notany‘toxins’thathavebuiltupinyourbody.”9Inaddition,ourbodiesarealreadyverygoodatdetoxificationthroughthenaturalfunctionsofourkidneys,liverandcolon.10

So,WhatShouldYouDo?

Althoughthereisnoscientificevidencethatactivatedcharcoalinfoodsanddrinkshasanybeneficialhealtheffects,itisnotharmfultoconsumeitinmoderation.10So,goaheadandtrysomeblackicecream!