Drinking enough water is essential, but sometimes it’s hard to get the recommended 9-13 cups per day. Adding lemon to your water can improve the flavor, helping you drink more. It may also offer a few unexpected health benefits.
Not everyone likes the taste of water, so adding lemon can make it more palatable. This can make it easier to drink more water every day.
Drinking enough water is especially important for older adults. Researchers estimate that about 17-28% of older adults are chronically dehydrated. This, in turn, can lead to a host of health issues.
Research shows that consuming the citric acid in lemon juice helps boost your gastric acid levels, which is what helps your body break down food.
Another study found that drinking lemon water before a meal could also promote peristalsis, or a type of contraction that helps move food through your digestive tract. This suggests lemon juice could improve your digestion, but more research is needed.
The citric acid in lemon juice may help prevent the formation of kidney stones. For this reason, some healthcare professionals may recommend drinking lemon water to help ward off the formation of kidney stones.
However, lemon water alone may not be enough to prevent kidney stones altogether. If you frequently develop kidney stones, ask your doctor what else you can do to prevent them.
When it comes to citrus fruits, lemons offer the greatest amount of vitamin C. One glass of water with the juice from one lemon contains 21% of your daily value of vitamin C.
Vitamin C has many essential roles in the body, including supporting your immune system and helping your body absorb iron.
Drinking sugar-sweetened drinks regularly can increase your risk of weight gain and obesity. Regular consumption has been linked to type 2 diabetes, heart disease, non-alcoholic liver disease, gout, tooth decay, and cavities.
Opting for lemon water instead of a sports drink or soda may help you decrease your overall added sugar intake, helping lower your risk of obesity and other health issues.
Adding lemon water to your daily water intake may also help support weight loss efforts. Researchers reviewed 13 studies and found that people who consumed citrus and citrus extracts for four weeks lost about three pounds.
Eating a balanced diet and getting regular exercise are key to weight management, but drinking lemon water may support your efforts.
If you drink lemon water and supplement with calcium, you may absorb more calcium—ultimately leading to stronger bones. Researchers in one study found that after 11 months of drinking lemon water with calcium, postmenopausal women absorbed more calcium. This approach could help prevent osteoporosis (weak and brittle bones), but more research is needed.
While drinking lemon water every day has its advantages, there are some side effects you should be aware of. These include the possibility that lemon water may:
- Eat away at the enamel on your teeth
- Cause stomach upset or other digestive issues
- Worsen acid reflux and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- Aggravate canker sores
- Trigger migraines
