Activated Charcoal Overview

1) What conditions has it been studied for?

Activated charcoal has been studied for a variety of conditions, including:

• Acute poisoning and drug overdoses.
• Gastrointestinal issues such as bloating and gas.
• High cholesterol levels.
• Kidney health, specifically in chronic kidney disease.
• Intestinal detoxification and liver cleansing.
• Hyperbilirubinemia and neonatal jaundice.
• Reducing effects of aging and improving skin health.

2) Does it work in treating those conditions?

Activated charcoal is effective in certain applications, particularly:

• Binding to toxins and drugs in cases of acute poisoning, reducing their absorption in the gut.
• Alleviating gastrointestinal issues like bloating and gas.
• Potentially reducing cholesterol levels.
• Helping in certain kidney functions, though more research is needed.

3) What health benefits does it have?

Health benefits of activated charcoal include:

• Detoxification and cleansing properties, especially in the gastrointestinal tract.
• Potential improvement in kidney function in chronic kidney disease.
• Possible benefits for skin health when used topically.

4) Does it have any downsides?

Downsides of activated charcoal include:

• Potential interference with the absorption of medications and nutrients.
• Risk of constipation and black stools.
• Not suitable for treatment of all types of poisons.
• Limited evidence on its effectiveness in some claimed benefits.

5) Is it beneficial or harmful for any particular genetic variations?

There is currently limited research on the interaction of activated charcoal with specific genetic variations. Its effects seem to be more related to the condition being treated rather than an individual's genetic makeup.

Key Research Points:

• Obesity and Insulin Resistance: Acidic activated charcoal may attenuate weight gain and insulin resistance in high-fat diet-fed mice by excreting neutral lipids, cholesterol, and bile acids and upregulating certain hepatic genes.
• Hyperbilirubinemia: Activated charcoal is effective in reducing plasma bilirubin levels in hyperbilirubinemic rats, both alone and combined with phototherapy, suggesting potential use in managing jaundice in newborns.
• Neonatal Jaundice: Charcoal administration, either by feeding or gavage, reduces plasma bilirubin levels in jaundiced rats, indicating its potential as an adjunct to phototherapy for neonatal jaundice.
• Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis-Hepatocellular Carcinoma (NASH-HCC): A dietary supplement containing activated charcoal prevents liver damage in a NASH-HCC mouse model, potentially by enhancing the AMPKα-SIRT1 signaling pathway.
• Primary Trimethylaminuria: Activated charcoal is part of the management strategy for primary trimethylaminuria, a condition characterized by a fishy odor, helping to sequester trimethylamine in the gut.
• Trimethylaminuria Patients in Japan: Daily intake of activated charcoal significantly improved the quality of life in Japanese patients with trimethylaminuria by reducing urinary trimethylamine and increasing trimethylamine N-oxide levels.
• Dioxins and Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs): Activated charcoal plays a role in reducing the body burden of dioxins and PCBs, which are known to cause various health issues, including hormonal disruptions and cognitive development problems in children.
• Mercury Removal: The efficacy of biochars, including activated charcoal, in removing toxic elements like mercury from contaminated water is highlighted.

Overall, the papers below provide a comprehensive view of the beneficial applications of activated charcoal in medical treatments, particularly for conditions related to toxin removal, and its potential use in environmental purification.

References:

1. Acidic Activated Charcoal Prevents Obesity and Insulin Resistance in High-Fat Diet-Fed Mice
2. Activated charcoal decreases plasma bilirubin levels in the hyperbilirubinemic rat
3. Activated charcoal as an adjunct to phototherapy for neonatal jaundice
4. Le Carbone prevents liver damage in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis-hepatocellular carcinoma mouse model via AMPKα-SIRT1 signaling pathway activation
5. Primary Trimethylaminuria
6. Effects of the dietary supplements, activated charcoal and copper chlorophyllin, on urinary excretion of trimethylamine in Japanese trimethylaminuria patients
7. Reduction of dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in human body
8. Environmental exposure to dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls reduce levels of gonadal hormones in newborns: results from the Duisburg cohort study
9. The Duisburg birth cohort study: influence of the prenatal exposure to PCDD/Fs and dioxin-like PCBs on thyroid hormone status in newborns and neurodevelopment of infants until the age of 24 months
10. Behavioral sexual dimorphism in school-age children and early developmental exposure to dioxins and PCBs: a follow-up study of the Duisburg Cohort
11. Attenuation of polychlorinated biphenyl sorption to charcoal by humic acids
12. Enhanced PCBs sorption on biochars as affected by environmental factors: Humic acid and metal cations
13. Efficacy of carbonaceous materials for sorbing polychlorinated biphenyls from aqueous solution
14. Mercury Removal from Contaminated Water by Wood-Based Biochar Depends on Natural Organic Matter and Ionic Composition
15. Effects of environmental exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls and dioxins on birth size and growth in Dutch children
16. Environmental exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dioxins. Consequences for longterm neurological and cognitive development of the child lactation

Upload raw DNA data to get started with your free DNA raw data analysis today!