ALL OF A SUDDEN, the whole Internet is telling you to drink lemon water if you’re looking to lose weight.
Registered dietitians have taken notice, too. “Drinking lemon water has become quite the trend,” says Sophia Deahl, R.D., a functional medicine dietitian in Los Angeles. From aiding in digestion to boosting immunity, the practice of starting the day with a glass of lemon water seems to be gaining momentum as people increasingly seek natural and accessible ways to enhance their well-being, she says.
What really happens when you put the two together? Ahead, a deep squeeze into what lemon water can (and can’t) do for you.
Can Lemon Water Help You Lose Weight?
According to experts, all adding lemon to water really does is make your water taste like lemon.
“It’s not going to burn fat by any stretch of the imagination,” says Karen Ansel, R.D.N., author of Healing Superfoods for Anti-Aging.
It’s obvious that if you’re using lemon water as a replacement for something else—a 400-calorie mega mocha whipped-cream-topped “coffee,” perhaps—yeah, you’ll lose weight. And there’s a little glimmer of hope that on its own, the water part of the equation may indirectly help your pounds-off efforts. “Drinking about 16 ounces of water before a meal has been shown to help with weight loss,” Ansel says.
In fact, one study published in the journal Obesity found that obese adults who drank that much tap water before a meal (not sparkling) lost 2.8 pounds more over 12 weeks than people who didn’t “pre-load” with water, possibly because it made participants feel more full. “But adding lemon won’t do anything at all to help you burn more calories,” Ansel says.
Additionally, some animal studies have shown that drinking more water can boost metabolism. “This leads to increased function of the energy-producing mitochondria which enables increased fat burning,” says Robert Iafelice, M.S., R.D.N., nutrition expert at SETFORSET. Important to note, though: a finding in animals doesn’t automatically mean the same is true in humans, but there's potential.
Can Lemon Water Help You Detox?
It's true that lemons have nutrients in them, such as vitamin C. But even an entire half a lemon in eight ounces of water won’t really change your body’s vitamin status much. And lemon as a "detoxer”? Your liver already has detoxing covered for you.
As nice as it would be to chug a few glasses of lemon water a day to detox your body, “there is no quick fix or remedy for promoting optimal detox,” says Deahl.
Michelle Routhenstein, M.S., R.D., a preventive cardiology dietitian based in New York City, states that if you enjoy lemon squeezed into your water and it allows you to drink more water, positively impacting your hydration status, it can help with improving 'detoxification' because it will allow you to urinate more potential toxins. “However, lemons alone do not detoxify you, your body does a great job getting rid of toxins when we fuel it with proper balanced nutrition that supports the natural detoxification methods."
Our bodies' natural detoxification methods include regular bowel movements, sweating, and urinating.
Other Benefits to Drinking Lemon Water
It’s not all debunked myths. There are some benefits to drinking lemon water—they just might not be weight loss related.
Hydration
In case you didn’t already know, hydration is fundamental for human functioning. Lemon water is a great and flavorful way to make sure you’re getting your necessary daily amount of water. Iafelice says men should drink about 13 cups or three liters per day. For more on how much water you should actually be drinking, read this.
Reduce Inflammation
Lemons, like other citrus fruits, have a compound in them called limonin, which, Iafelice says, “is known to have anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, antioxidant, and liver protection properties.” Limonin has also been shown to be effective at protecting against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the most common cause of chronic liver disease worldwide.
Of course, sipping on a glass or two of lemon water each day isn’t going to transform you into a perfect vision of health, but coupled with a healthy, balanced diet and regular physical exercise, you may reap the benefits.
Are There Any Side Effects to Drinking Lemon Water for Weight Loss?
If you like the taste of lemon water, and you're not drinking it solely for the purposes of losing weight or detoxing, great. Just be sure to chase your morning glass with a plain-water rinse.
“Lemon is very acidic and not great for tooth enamel,” Ansel says. Erosive food and drinks can weaken tooth enamel and brushing within about 30 minutes can remove some of it. Rinse right away after drinking lemon water, then wait a bit before you brush.
