Benefits of Lemon Water: What It Actually Does for Your Body

The simple blend of lemon with a glass of water is considered highly beneficial for health. Drinking it is often associated with improved digestion, detoxification, and enhanced skin health. The drink has become a wellness trend, but is it actually worth the hype? The research, particularly the human studies, is very limited to support such claims. However, we can understand the benefits of lemon water by focusing on the two ingredients in isolation. 

Read this article to learn about the evidence-based, proven benefits of lemon water. Also discover what sets it apart from nimbu pani and ORS.

Quick Answer

Lemon water is a blend of lemon juice or lemon slices and water. Benefits of lemon water include supporting hydration, improving digestion, and adding vitamin C to the diet. This drink does not detox the body, burn fat, or boost metabolism. It can also have some side effects like acid reflux and frequent urination.

Is Lemon Water Good for You?

Yes! Lemon water is a healthy choice for you if you want to enhance hydration in your daily routine. Proper water intake is essential to keep the body healthy. 

Adding lemon to it provides vitamin C in your diet. This supports digestion and prevents kidney stones. However, it has some downsides, like erosion of tooth enamel and heartburn in some cases.

What Does Lemon Water Actually Do for Your Body?

What does lemon water do for you? Lemon water is undoubtedly beneficial for overall health. It keeps you hydrated, offers vitamin C, and improves digestive function. This is also found to prevent the formation of kidney stones. You can also use it as a healthier alternative to the sugary drinks on the market. 

Let’s see what lemon water does for your body:

Keeps You Hydrated 

One of the best pros to drinking lemon water is hydration! It’s been found that people drink more water when it is flavoured. Adding the citrus flavours to plain water can undoubtedly make it more palatable. Proper hydration is critical for us; 55% of the body weight of a human adult consists of water. 

If you find it difficult to drink plain water, lemon water can be a great choice for you to reap the benefits of drinking water. 

If you want to keep track of your fluid intake based on weight, age, activity, and climate, you can use the water intake calculator.

Good Source of Vitamin C

Lemons are considered a great source of vitamin C. Squeezing half a lemon into water adds about 15-20 mg of vitamin C (15-20% of the daily value). This is a powerful antioxidant that helps build collagen, improves iron absorption, and supports overall skin health. 

Though it should not be considered a replacement for other fruits and vegetables in our diet, it is still a significant boost.

Improves Digestion 

Drinking lemon water every morning or before meals may improve digestion. A 2022 study by the National Center for Biotechnology Information highlighted that lemon juice increases gastric acid secretion and lowers the glycemic response. The enhanced gastric acid helps in breaking down the food more effectively, improving digestion.

The increased water intake will also keep the gut stimulated, preventing constipation. Also, if you add lemon pulp to the water, you will get a small amount of soluble fiber that is known as pectin. This will promote better bowel movements.

Works as an Alternative to Sugary Drinks 

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), sugary drinks, including soda, energy drinks, and sports drinks, contain most of the added sugar in the U.S. diet. Lemon water can be a perfect alternative to these sugar-sweetened drinks. This will help you lower your daily sugar intake and prevent diabetes and heart disease.

If you want to track your macronutrient intake, you can use the macro nutrient calculator to estimate your daily carbohydrate, protein, and fat intake. 

Helps Prevent Kidney Stones 

Lemons have citric acid, which converts to citrate in our body. It has been found that citrate is effective in preventing the buildup of calcium oxalate, which is the most common type of kidney stone. 

The 2021 study by the National Center for Biotechnology Information concludes that fresh lemon juice supplementation prevents the recurrence of kidney stones in individuals with calcium oxalate nephrolithiasis.

Trace Electrolytes

People often question do lemons have electrolytes. Lemons have electrically charged minerals like potassium, magnesium, and calcium to support overall well-being. In this way, the benefits of lemon in drinking water extend to supporting fluid balance and muscle function.

Lemon Water vs. Nimbu Pani: Are They the Same?

Lemon water and nimbu pani are made up of essentially the same core ingredients: water and lemon juice. But they are different due to the preparation method and nutrition. 

Here is the difference between plain water and nimbu pani:

Feature	Plain Lemon Water	Nimbu Pani
Preparation	Prepared by just adding lemon juice to plain water.	Traditional Indian style drink that includes lemon juice and water, but it also involves sugar and salt.
Purpose	Consumed warm or at room temperature as a morning wellness drink.	Popular as the ultimate rehydrating drink in India, especially in summer.
Extra Spices	None.	Special kinds of drinks like shikanji even include mint and roasted cumin.
Nutrition	Contains about 6-11 calories and 15-20% of the daily value of vitamin C.	Can have about 30-100 calories based on the amount of sugar used. It also has carbohydrates and sodium.

Does Nimbu Pani Replace ORS?

Nimbu pani should not be considered a replacement for ORS (oral rehydration salts). ORS is a medically precise formula for treating real dehydration issues, including heatstroke, diarrhea, and vomiting. Nimbu pani is a homemade refreshing drink that has some sodium if you add salt to it. It does not have a clear ratio of salts and glucose; therefore, it’s not a medical substitute. 

Feature	Nimbu Pani	ORS
Use	General refreshment and thirst quenching	Treating medical dehydration from heatstroke, vomiting, and diarrhea
Electrolyte Profile	Varied sodium, potassium, or citrate that lacks precision	Balanced sodium and potassium
Sugar	Depends on the added sugar	Precise 13.5 g/L
Daily Use Suitability	Generally safe and healthy to drink daily	Not meant for daily use as it contains too much sodium

What Lemon Water Doesn’t Do

Lemon water is beneficial for health, but there are some myths around this drink that it detoxes and alkalizes the body and speeds up weight loss by boosting metabolism. 

Let’s understand what lemon water doesn’t do so that you can use it for the right purposes: 

• Detox the Body 

  This is not some magical drink that will detox the body. Our kidneys and liver naturally handle the cleansing process of the body by removing waste. However, the drink provides hydration that may help the organs work more efficiently.

• Alkalize the Body 

  Lemon water may make the urine more alkaline, but it cannot change the overall body pH. Our body strictly maintains its own blood pH balance.

• Speed up Weight Loss

  This drink does not have any fat-burning property. It may help you lose weight with improved hydration and as an alternative to sugary drinks.

• Boosts Metabolism

  Lemon water doesn’t increase metabolism. Staying well hydrated can increase energy expenditure, but lemon hasn’t been shown to boost metabolism.

If you are on your weight loss journey, you can use the calorie calculator to know how many calories you should consume as per your age, height, and weight.

Can Lemon Water Cause Any Problems?

Lemon water is considered safe for most people, but its intake can lead to side effects like tooth enamel erosion, digestive issues, and frequent urination. Overall, its consumption depends on the individual’s tolerance based on the person’s digestion and dental resilience. 

Here are the possible downsides of drinking lemon water: 

• Tooth enamel erosion: Lemon water is acidic, which can wear away the tooth enamel. This can increase the risk of sensitivity or staining on the teeth. Ways to prevent this are drinking through a straw or avoiding brushing your teeth immediately after drinking it.
• Acid reflux: Can lemon water cause acid reflux? People who have a history of acid reflux, a sensitive stomach, or stomach ulcers can find lemon water irritating. If you notice any heartburn, it’s better to reduce the intake or simply switch to plain water. 
• Frequent urination: Lemon water can make you urinate more often. The added fluid increases the liquid intake, and the lemon juice acts as a mild diuretic. 

Does Restaurant Lemon Water Provide the Same Benefits?

Restaurant lemon water differs significantly from home-prepared lemon water. The primary benefit, hydration, remains the same. The other benefits depend on whether they are using slices or juice, the amount of lemon used, and added sweeteners.

Lemon Slices Vs. Fresh Juice 

Restaurants often add a floating lemon slice in the drink, which adds minimal nutritional value. Unless you mash the added lemon into the water, very little vitamin C diffuses into the water. 

It’s better to squeeze half a lemon into water for healthy eating out. This releases a significant amount of vitamin C and potassium into the drink. It is more beneficial for health than the one with a floating lemon slice.

Amount of Lemon Varies 

In restaurants, the amount of lemon used varies. Some of them serve only a small amount, a single slice, which adds some flavour to plain water. This makes people drink more water, promoting the primary benefit that is hydration. 

In some of the restaurants, the juice of ½ to 1 lemon is used. This provides good amounts of antioxidants to support health.

Unsweetened Vs. Sweetened 

Some restaurants add sweeteners, which change the health profile of the drink completely. The unsweetened drinks are better for calorie-free hydration and to eat clean. They work as a great substitute for sugary beverages and help maintain stable blood sugar levels. On the other hand, the sweetened lemon water adds high calories and leads to blood sugar spikes. It can also contribute to weight gain.

How Do You Make Lemon Water?

To make the lemon water, rinse a fresh lemon thoroughly and roll it on the counter under the palms to loosen its juice. Cut it in half and squeeze the fresh juice of half a lemon into a glass of water (250-350 ml). Stir and drink to enjoy the benefits.

If you want to add slices of lemon instead of juice, add thinly sliced lemons into the water to let it soak up the aromatic oils from the peel. This gives the water a mild flavour. Ensure to take out the slice after 2-4 hours so that the white pith does not make it bitter. 

Keep the drink unsweetened for calorie-free hydration and maintain stable blood sugar levels.

Conclusion 

Is lemon water healthy? For most people, it is a great way to get a low-calorie hydration boost. According to studies, benefits of lemon water also include supporting digestion and preventing the formation of kidney stones. But it is important to understand that this drink does not detox the body, magically burn fat, or boost metabolism. Also, the beverage has some possible downsides like heartburn, tooth enamel erosion, and frequent urination.

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