Lemon Water: Anti-Cancer Weight Loss Recipe? Best Ways to Drink It

Lemon water contains nutrients such as vitamin C and citric acid. Alter-ego/Shutterstock

Lemon water is commonly consumed for its health benefits, containing nutrients such as vitamin C and citric acid. Claims abound on the internet that it can also be used for weight loss, fighting cancer, and preventing kidney stones. But how true are all these claims?

1. Can Lemon Water Help You Lose Weight?

Vitamin C does not affect weight loss. It is mainly an antioxidant that can prevent free radicals from damaging cells. Citric acid cannot help you lose weight either, but it does stimulate the digestive tract to secrete digestive juice, which aids digestion. Water also has no weight loss effect but can promote metabolism and bowel motility.

So under what circumstances can lemon water help you lose weight? One is drinking water will make you feel full, reducing your appetite. Replacing high-sugar drinks such as soda with lemon water will reduce sugar intake, too. In addition to being low in sugar, lemon water contains no fat or protein and is low in calories.

In short, lemon water has no direct weight loss effect, but it can indirectly help achieve weight loss under certain circumstances.

2. Can Lemon Water Fight Cancer?

Vitamin C has an antioxidant effect, which can reduce the risk of various chronic diseases, including cancer. However, no scientific basis exists for the claim that lemon water can fight cancer. In other words, lemon water won’t fight established cancer tumors. It can only help prevent cancer, not cure it.

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Some scientific studies at cell and animal levels have shown that lemon extract can inhibit the growth of cancer cells and even kill them. But current clinical trials are insufficient to prove that lemon can treat cancer in human beings.

Some large-scale statistics also show that eating more citrus fruits is related to lower cancer risk, but correlation does not mean causation. People who often eat citrus fruits are likely to pay more attention to diet health.

3. Can Lemon Water Treat Kidney Stones?

Lemon water has somewhat of an effect on preventing kidney stones, but it may not be able to treat them. A study published in EClinicalMedicine in 2022 showed that drinking 60 milliliters (2 fl. ounces) of fresh lemon juice daily can reduce kidney stone recurrence risk.

When citric acid enters the urine, it is drawn to calcium salts to form citrate, thereby preventing calcium salts from forming calcium oxalate stones. But if you already have kidney stones, the effect of drinking lemon water is very minimal.

5. No Milk After Drinking Lemon Water?

Some say lemon water will curdle milk. Curdling is possible if lemon juice is squeezed directly into milk, but as the lemon juice in a glass of lemon water has been diluted, such a phenomenon is far from noticeable.

6. No Carrots After Drinking Lemon Water?

Rumor also has it that the enzymes in carrots break down the vitamin C in lemon water. However, vitamin C is a stable compound, and ordinary enzymes cannot break it down. Air, sunlight, and elevated temperature are the main factors that destroy vitamin C.

4. Is Lemon Water No Good Hot?

There is nothing wrong with drinking lemon water anywhere below 140 F (60 C), but prolonged exposure to elevated temperature will destroy the vitamin C.

7. Should You Add Honey to Lemon Water?

Lemon water with honey tastes better, and the flavonoids in honey are also anti-inflammatory. Drinking lemon honey water can soothe a cough when you have a cold. But be careful not to drink too much lemon honey water to avoid too much sugar intake.

8. Drink Lemon Water in the Morning to Detox and in the Evening to Help You Sleep?

Drinking lemon water in the morning has no detox effect and drinking it at night will not help you sleep, either. However, half of the benefits of lemon water come from the water, and drinking plenty of water can indeed detoxify. Lemon water is, therefore, acceptable for consumption at any time.

9. Who Shouldn’t Drink Lemon Water?

Lemon water is a healthy and refreshing drink that most people can enjoy. However, because citric acid has a stimulating effect, patients with gastritis and gastroesophageal reflux (heartburn) should not drink too much of it. In addition, patients with kidney stones should consult their doctors before consuming it.