Lemon juice can boost immunity, aid weight loss, improve digestion and clear up the skin

“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!” This popular saying is quite apt for any day of the week. Just lemons, water and honey, what’s not to love? This tasty, low cost, easy to make drink is considered to be great for one’s health.

Whether it’s helping in weight loss or being good for the skin, everything we know about lemons goes under the pros column. Many doctors, nutritionists, dermatologists and beauty experts recommend drinking lemon water every day. But is there another side to lemons? And since too much of anything is a bad thing, how much is too much when it comes to lemons?

Let’s first look at all the benefits of lemon juice before answering that:

1. Boost immunity

Lemons are a great source of vitamin C. According to the US Department of Agriculture, one lemon provides 8.6 mg of vitamin C. The daily vitamin C requirement of an adult is 70 to 90 mg.

Vitamin C is a great antioxidant which controls free radical cell damage. From preventing common cold and acne to decreasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases, strokes and regulating blood pressure, it has many important functions.

2. Aids weight loss

One lemon’s juice contains only six calories. Say, you squeeze half a lemon into a glass of water and add a spoonful of honey for extra yumminess, that takes you to about 23 calories. Compare this with one small bottle of cola which contains about 182 calories. Replacing these sweet beverages with lemon water can help you to lose weight as you will end up consuming fewer calories.

3. Inhibits kidney stones

Lemons are high in citrate which not only inhibits the formation of kidney stones but also helps break them down. Studies have shown that drinking 120 ml of lemon juice in two litres of water successfully reduced the rate of kidney stone formation.

Other fruit juices like orange juice are low in citrate and contain calcium and oxalate. These factors stimulate stone formation as most kidney stones are calcium oxalate stones.

4. Good for digestion

Lemon water not only keeps us hydrated but also slows down the absorption of food and makes sure that the body successfully breaks down the nutrients it needs.

5. Keeps gums healthy

As scurvy is caused by a deficiency of vitamin C, consumption of lemon juice helps in preventing it. Swelling and bleeding of gums and loosening of teeth are the symptoms of scurvy. Lemon juice helps maintain healthy gums and a beautiful smile.

Side effects of lemon juice

Since lemons are acidic, people who have gastric stress or extreme acid reflux should avoid lemons. The citric acid in lemon juice is not good for our teeth enamel, so do not exceed the 120 ml daily limit. There no scientific proof to show that lemons are bad for our bone health.

Lemonade every day?

Drinking lemonade every day is a very healthy habit, just don’t overdo it. Too much lemon can also be a bad thing. Squeeze two lemons in two litres of water, add a pinch of rock salt or table salt, and you are good to go. It keeps you hydrated, your heart and stomach healthy, it is great for your skin and hair and helps you to lose weight too.

Health articles in Firstpost are written by myUpchar.com, India’s first and biggest resource for verified medical information. At myUpchar, researchers and journalists work with doctors to bring you information on all things health. For more information on ALS, please read our article on  Lemon: Benefits, Uses, Side-Effects .