Kim Kardashian's health drink is under fire – here's why

We're already used to the nonsense of the Kardashian family, certainly when it comes to health, but they still somehow manage to surprise us.

Recently, fans have noticed Kim Kardashian showing off her charcoal gray tea on her Instagram story – a seemingly regular occurrence for the 42-year-old who has long been talking about charcoal's health benefits for years.

But what's different this time?

Now, Kim's story has made nutritionists speak out against the charcoal trend and say that taking it could actually cause harm to your health.

People who believe in the benefits of charcoal say it absorbs chemicals and toxins, reducing the body's absorption of them, leading them to use it as a detox product.

Charcoal usually comes in powder form and gets added to hot drinks or smoothies.

Kim's tea isn't even the only charcoal drink the Kardashians have tried. Her sister Kourtney previously shared a "charcoal latte" recipe on her lifestyle website Poosh. There, she wrote that she's "been in love with charcoal for a long time," saying it can help with gas, bloating and deep cleansing detox.

"Active charcoal acts like a binder, so it essentially acts as a sponge, soaking up different chemicals from within the body and on the skin," Feel Complete head nutritionist Hannah Macey told Yahoo.

"It has been used to support the recovery of people who have been tested for certain toxins such as mold. It is also used in medication to treat drug overdoses and accidental poisoning. When the correct dosage is given by a professional it can bind to the drugs and poisons, and reduce how much is absorbed in the gut."

However, as she warned, there isn't enough research yet on the long-term effects of active charcoal, and while, "Small amounts should not cause any harm or side effects... the long-term impacts of higher doses have yet to be studied."

Another fear is that due to its absorption capabilities, active charcoal could interfere with any medication.