Pseudoscientific health claims and wellness trends are becoming increasingly prevalent, often endorsed by celebrities and influencers promoting them across social media platforms such as Instagram.
Though some of them may seem harmless, many of these promoted fads can actually be pretty dangerous.
Jameela Jamil, star of 'The Good Place", has openly criticized celebrities including members of the Kardashian family for promoting weight-loss products that could "hurt other girls" with damaging effects both physically and mentally.
Now it seems that yet another of these health fads has been debunked, according to new research published in the British Dental Journal — activated charcoal toothpaste.
According to researchers, not only is activated charcoal toothpaste useless when it comes to whitening your teeth, but it could also be seriously damaging them, as well as your gums.
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Although charcoal has been used for centuries as a remedy for certain instances of poisoning, its increasingly widespread use on an everyday basis is highly controversial among researchers.
The filtering effect of activated charcoal can't be controlled — in addition to toxins, it can end up absorbing essential nutrients that the body is lacking.
Activated charcoal in toothpaste, however, isn't primarily intended to help "detoxify" the teeth; the main aim is usually to make them whiter.
Advertisements promise radiantly white teeth, as the binding effect of activated charcoal supposedly helps remove deposits and residue on the teeth.
According to the British Dental Journal's findings, however, the addition of activated charcoal to toothpaste is nothing more than a mere marketing gimmick.
Worse still, according to researchers, the use of charcoal toothpaste can actually lead to permanent tooth discoloration and decay — which isn't exactly what most look for in a toothpaste.
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Co-author of the study Joseph Greenwall-Cohen of the University of Manchester Dental School said "more and more shops are selling charcoal-based toothpastes and powders" and referred to a review from 2017, which analyzed 50 activated charcoal-based toothpastes available.
The result? There's insufficient scientific evidence to prove the cosmetic and health benefits of activated charcoal toothpaste.
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These insufficiently proven cosmetic and health benefits include tooth whitening (96% of products promised this), detoxifying properties (46%), antibacterial or antiseptic effects (44%) and remineralization, strengthening, or strengthening of teeth (30%).
Another problem, according to the researchers, is the lack of fluoride in the toothpastes analyzed. Fluoride is an important ingredient in dental care products because it protects teeth from tooth decay and cavities, and contributes to tooth remineralization.
In addition to this, there's an excessively high proportion of abrasive particles in activated charcoal toothpaste.
For the 8% minority of activated charcoal toothpastes the researchers found to contain fluoride, even those toothpastes could still be harmful to your teeth.
Due to the absorbent properties of activated charcoal, the fluoride in these products could be rendered completely ineffective, according to the researchers.
The team also discovered a higher-than-average level of abrasive particles in the toothpastes, which, if used regularly, could lead to damage not only with the enamel but with the gums too.
Charcoal-based toothpaste "will not whiten teeth and may cause decay," the researchers said in The Independent.
In the worst case scenario, constant use of activated charcoal toothpaste could even lead to you losing your pearly whites one day — which certainly isn't the best look for Instagram.
