We have probably all been told at some point or another, by someone in our lives, a doctor, nutritionist, maybe even your grandmother, to drink lemon water for the health benefits. We have been told by nutritionists that it can help with digestion, detox the body, and even promote weight loss. But does lemon water really do all the things some nutritionists claim it does? Well, let’s look at these and other claims and see if its worth all the time and fuss for you to squeeze the juice from a fresh lemon each day to get these so-called benefits.
Now, when discussing nutrition and particularly the research that drives our understanding of what and what is not “healthy”, it is always important to consider where the money is coming from that funds the research behind certain claims. In the case of lemons, some of the funding for research can actually be traced back to companies that make lemon processing equipment. Now, in my opinion, I think they might have a vested interest in you drinking more lemon juice.
Most of this research is done on rodents and animals and is either barely applicable to human’s health and nutrition and physiology, or not applicable at all. Now, let’s go through some of the claims that suggest that if you drink the juice of one lemon each day, it will help cure certain health conditions.
One claim is that it reduces a fatty liver. While lemons contain vitamin C, which is a great antioxidant, drinking lemon water is not a guaranteed remedy. In reality, to reduce a fatty liver you will have to lower your daily carbohydrate to at least 50 total grams a day, some will even have to go as low as 20 grams.
Another claim is that it lowers cholesterol, well, again, there is no credible scientific evidence to suggest that it can reduce cholesterol. While it does have limonoids, which have antioxidant properties, there has never been real evidence that shows that these compounds directly reduce cholesterol levels, and from what we’ve discussed in previous blogs, lowering your cholesterol might not be a good thing which is what the new research is telling us.
One final claim we will look at is that drinking lemon water will help with digestion and help you lose weight. In reality, there are no credible studies that support this claim. While drinking water can help you in weight management by keeping you hydrated and regulating your metabolism, there is no evidence that adding lemon will do anything “extra” for you. In fact, each lemon is about 2grams of carbohydrates, which means lemons are full of sugar, even though they are bitter. Having that much sugar each day will raise your blood sugar and your insulin level.
If you want to lose weight, then you need to eat a diet that lowers your insulin levels as close to a normal level as possible. Drinking lemon juice will not help you with this at all. Like many so called “miracle foods”, there is nothing magical about lemon juice, it promises you a lot and, in the end, it gives you nothing, except a little bit does taste good in mineral water.
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