Buzz
Water: cool and refreshing. Lemons: also refreshing. Mix them together, and you get a beverage with a zesty kick. That’s all it is. Not a magic detox potion or a fat-burning miracle. Just plain lemon water. (Add sugar, and voilà, you have lemonade.)
Lemon water continues to be a popular health trend, likely because it looks fresh and clean on TikTok and is incredibly simple to prepare, leading everyone to have their own take on it. (“I was today years old when I realized I’ve been drinking lemon water wrong,” says one TikToker, who’s just discovered you can smash a lemon in a jar to release the juice. Just wait until she learns you can use a wooden spoon instead of a straw.)
If starting your day with a glass of warm lemon water works for you, I won’t stop you. But let’s explore the supposed benefits of this habit.
Lemon water isn't a metabolism booster.
Reader’s Digest, in its list of “12 insane benefits” of lemon water, references a study suggesting that some compounds in lemons “prevent weight gain.” The study involved young mice (who are still growing, hence the focus on weight gain) and instead of lemon water, they were given a mix of polyphenols—chemicals extracted from lemons—that accounted for 0.5 percent of their diet. While the results were slightly encouraging, it’s important to remember that these weren’t humans, they weren’t consuming lemon water, and they weren’t shedding pounds.
The results were slightly encouraging, but keep in mind that these weren’t humans, they weren’t drinking lemon water, and they weren’t losing weight.
Lemon water does help with hydration.
The idea that lemon water hydrates you is accurate, since it’s made of water. (But, it doesn’t hydrate any better than plain water.)
A common claim is that lemon water helps with weight loss by filling you up so you eat less at breakfast. This is true, but regular water works just the same.
Lemon water is low in calories.
If you're aiming to cut down on calories, swapping a soda or juice for lemon water is an option. (Plain water or a can of LaCroix would work just as well.)
Sometimes, influencers act like it’s groundbreaking information that water with a slice of lemon has fewer calories than a glass of sugary orange juice. Yes, but I think we all already knew that.
Lemon water won't detoxify you.
I don’t understand why this keeps coming up, but "detox" isn't a real concept. If your body truly has toxins, you should seek professional medical help. If your goal is simply to eat healthier, that's perfectly fine, but it's not a "detox" in any way.
Lemon water isn't a reliable source of electrolytes.
"I wasn't drinking it straight, but half a cup of lemon juice contains approximately 125 mg of potassium, compared to 211 mg in a banana," Dina Gachman writes at Prevention. But if you’re not consuming half a cup, then what’s the point of that comparison? Now, let's examine the nutritional breakdown of one lemon wedge: it only provides less than 1% of your daily sodium and magnesium (0.006% and 0.13% of the daily value, respectively), and just 2% of your daily potassium.
It likely doesn’t improve digestion
Stomach acid is acidic, and lemons are acidic as well, so they must aid in digestion, right? Well, for one, stomach acid plays a small role in digestion, so increasing it wouldn't do much for your body. More importantly, the acidity in your stomach isn’t easily changed by what you eat. If you consume alkaline foods, your stomach releases more acid; if you drink lemon juice, it reduces the acid. (The exception: if you suffer from heartburn, acidic foods can irritate your esophagus and worsen symptoms.)
There are a few small animal studies with mixed outcomes regarding other aspects of digestion, but there's nothing conclusive enough to claim that it “aids” digestion.
Lemon water doesn't offer pectin or any significant fiber
Unless you're chewing and swallowing the lemon slices, in which case you might get a tiny amount.
Lemon water provides a modest amount of vitamin C
One wedge gives you about 4% of your daily vitamin C requirement. If you're a fan of lemon water and consume an entire lemon's worth, you reach 36%, which is a decent amount. But surely, you're getting your vitamins from other food sources too, right?
I’m sure that if you were at risk of scurvy, you’d leave your pirate ship and grab a fresh, juicy orange (which provides 138% of your daily vitamin C) on your way to the doctor. If you're just trying to fend off colds, vitamin C won’t do that, though it might shorten the duration of a cold (just a little, and I stress might) if you take large doses. We're talking about much more than what's found in a glass of lemon water.
To sum it up, lemon water is just liquid, with minimal calories, and it tastes good to some. That’s about all it has to offer. Drinking a glass each morning may help you kick your coffee habit (but why would you?), or it might make you feel like you're starting your day off healthy, as you look out the window imagining the yoga session you’ll do later. Sure. Fine. But that’s all it’s good for.
