40 Benefits of Drinking Lemon Water

The lemon water debate is as enduring as the morning sun, casting a refreshing light on the myriad health benefits of this citrusy beverage. Have you ever wondered why lemon water has been the center of wellness discussions for years?

The ritual of starting the day with a glass of lemon water is akin to a healthful decree: it’s believed to flush out toxins, bolster your immune system, and present a moment of calm before the day's storm.

Freshly lemon juice in mason jar on wood table.

🍋 Health Benefits Of Drinking Lemon Water

1. Boost Energy

Trade your daily cup of coffee for an energizing shot of lemon water. Lemons are naturally energizing food because of their negatively charged ions. [1]

2. Naturally Detoxes The Body

The citric acid in lemons and the fiber help break up bacteria that accumulate in the body. Drinking the extra water flushes these broken-up toxins out of your system. [2]

3. Boost The Immune Systems

Research proves that vitamin C gives the immune system a beneficial boost. A vitamin C deficiency causes you to be increasingly susceptible to viruses and infections.

4. Replenishes Electrolytes

Post-workout, don’t reach for a lemon sports drink full of artificial sugars to replenish your electrolytes. Instead, choose lemon water to restore electrolytes.

With lemon’s abundance of vitamins and minerals, making your own post-workout drink is easy and cost-effective. Add the juice of a lemon to a cup of cold water with a shot of sea salt and honey. [4]

5. Boosts Metabolism

Being well-hydrated keeps the metabolism running smoothly. Lemon boosts fiber and citric acid, which helps digest food properly, keeping the metabolism at top levels. This is one of the benefits of lemon water, and it may also help you lose weight. [5]

6. Promotes Weight Loss

Between the pleasant boost to the metabolism, the killed cravings, and the filling fiber, it’s not surprising that drinking lemon water can help you lose weight. Plus, lemon’s natural diuretic properties help you beat the bloat and lose water weight. [6]

7. Increases Potassium Intake

According to Medical News Today, potassium is an essential micronutrient. The body requires 100 mg per day to support basic functions, but upping the potassium intake reduces the risk of death from all causes.

An increased potassium intake also lowers the risk of stroke, lowers blood pressure, preserves muscle mass and bone density, and reduces the formation of kidney stones.

8. Soothes Sore Throats

Lemon water can relieve sore throats. The lemon breaks up irritating mucus. Combining it with honey and hot water adds an extra soothing quality to remedy even the worst sore throat. It’s one of the best benefits of lemon water there is. [8]

9. Improves Digestive Health

Drinking water before any meal helps break down waste and move it through the system. This is particularly true when drinking warm water before your first meal of the day. Editor of Yahoo Health, Michele Promaulayko, validated this theory.

She says it slows down digestion enough to allow your body to properly break down the food, which is precisely what your body needs for optimal digestive health. [9]

10. Helps Manage Diabetes

It helps manage diabetes. Research suggests that the polyphenols in lemons can help prevent fat from being stored in the abdominal area. Reducing abdominal fat is linked to less insulin resistance and better diabetes management. [10]

11. Relieves Coughs

Cough drop manufacturers are onto something when they manufacture honey lemon cough drops. Lemon is a natural cough suppressant. Half a lemon added to hot water with honey soothes coughs. [11]

12. Breaks Up Mucus

Lemon water’s strong shot of citric acid dissolves mucus and phlegm. Antioxidants and a strong shot of vitamin C help kill the virus, causing the mucus in the first place. Add a good squeeze of lemon to hot water and honey to reap the benefits.

Mucus is a type of slime produced by cells inside the airway walls. It consists primarily of water and contains salt, antibodies, antibacterial compounds, and other molecules.

When you have an infection or condition that causes excess saliva production inside your mouth, this extra saliva mixes with any phlegm that's already in your lungs. The result is yellow-green mucus production that you can cough up.

13. Fights Colds And Flu

According to the Mayo Clinic, taking vitamin C before a cold can help shorten the duration of the cold symptoms.

Drinking lemon water daily gives you that boost of vitamin C that will help speed up a cold. Studies show consuming vitamin C decreases the severity of cold and flu symptoms and fights the viruses that cause these ailments.

14. Reduces Infections

According to the Riordan Clinic, high doses of vitamin C are used to be given regularly to treat infections. Lemon has tons of vitamin C and natural antimicrobial properties that make it a powerhouse for reducing infections.

15. Promotes Wound Healing

While adding lemon to a wound sounds painful, drinking lemon water can help promote wound healing. Research presented in the International Journal of Science shows that lemon juice speeds up wound healing due to its antibacterial properties. Take advantage of these last three benefits of lemon water for your immune system by drinking it regularly.

16. Alkalizes The Body

According to Web MD foods that alkalize the body may benefit you in many ways. Having a slightly alkalized body may help prevent kidney stones and keep your bones and muscles in top shape.

17. Eases Asthma

Many of the vitamins and minerals in lemon, including vitamin C, magnesium, and choline, can help reduce the severity of asthma symptoms.

18. Regulates Blood Sugar

According to Harvard Health, lemons can slow the conversion of starch to sugar. The slower this conversion happens, the less dramatically blood sugar levels rise, which is a boon for people with diabetes and anyone looking to stabilize sugar levels to avoid sugar highs or weight gain.

19. Feeds The Brain

Lemons have tons of potassium, which is excellent for the brain.

20. Balances pH

If the body becomes too acidic, it can’t operate as well. For example, the intestines can’t properly digest food in an overly acidic environment.

21. Fights Cancer

While lemons are not a cancer cure-all, there is a truth that lemons contain lots of cancer-fighting properties. Lemon’s beneficial properties are showing promise in some cancer studies.

22. Neutralizes Free Radicals

Free radicals cause damage to the body. Vitamin C and Vitamin E, both contained in lemon juice, help reduce and reverse any damage caused by free radicals.

23. Supports Heart Health

Lemon water’s potassium helps support heart health. The potassium strengthens the heart muscle and all the other muscles in the body and helps it keep blood flowing freely.

24. Decreases High Blood Pressure

Vitamin C may help relax blood vessels. When blood vessels are more relaxed, blood pressure naturally decreases. Studies show a 5-millimeter reduction in pressure in patients with essential hypertension who consumed 500 percent of the daily requirement of Vitamin C.

25. Hydrates The Lymphatic System

The lymph system is twice as large as the arterial system that houses the veins and arteries. This behemoth system flushes waste products out of our system. Keeping it hydrated with alkalizing lemon water makes it run smoothly and efficiently.

26. Promotes Digestive Regularity

This combo helps keep your digestive tract running smoothly and your bowels regular. Water alone softens stool and lubricates the gi tract, but the citric acid and fiber in the lemons help move the undigested waste from the colon. Medical professionals recommend hot lemon water to help cure constipation naturally.

27. Improves Eye Health In Diabetics

Many people with diabetes deal with deteriorating vision as a result of a build-up of sugars in the blood vessels in the eyes. Studies have found that the flavonoids in lemons help prevent blindness and cataracts in people with diabetes.

28. Prevents Kidney Stones

According to Web MD, the citrate present in lemon help inhibits oxalate crystals from forming. These crystals create one of the most common kidney stones. Drinking lemon water increases the amount of citrate in the urine, which prevents the stones from forming.

29. Reduces Uric Acid Levels

The potassium and citrate in lemons prevent uric acid from building up in the body. Too much uric acid in your body can cause swelling, gout attacks, infections, and kidney and bladder stones.

Because lemon water acts as a diuretic, it flushes out this unwanted fluid. Many gout sufferers drink lemon water before eating to prevent uncomfortable attacks.

30. Prevents And Treats Urinary Tract Infections

Drinking lots of water helps prevent UTIs and may help treat some of the symptoms. Water dilutes the urine, making going to the bathroom less painful when dealing with urinary tract infections. Plus, lemon juice’s natural antibacterial properties help kill the bacteria inside the bladder.

31. Treats And Prevents Scurvy

Scurvy is a disease directly resulting from vitamin C deficiency. While the availability of products makes this disease rarer than in the past, it does affect up to 10-14% of adults in developed countries. With its high concentration of vitamin C, lemon water can help treat and prevent this condition.

32. Replaces Unhealthy Beverages

Many people reach for soft drinks or sugary juices because they don’t like plain water. Jazzing water up with refreshingly tart lemon can add enough zing to water to make more people reach for it over a soda or sweetened juice. This is one of the benefits of lemon water you can’t ignore.

33. Helps Prevent Over-Eating

Lemon water can help you stop overeating. A shot of flavor from lemon water can squash cravings while the water fills up your belly and prevents you from confusing thirst with hunger. Plus, the shot of fiber from the lemon’s pectin satisfies you with few calories.

34. May Help Fight Depression

If you wake up each day to the fresh scent of lemon in your green tea, you are probably already familiar with how the citrus smell reinvigorates you. Research indicates that lemon water can help suppress depression symptoms more effectively than some anti-depressants.

35. Encourages Hydration

It is widely agreed upon that good hydration is essential to your health. But if you are like most people, getting the recommended daily allotment is challenging. Lemon water’s taste, antioxidants, and vitamins make drinking it easier, promoting hydration.

36. Repairs Cartilage

Move over calcium; Vitamin C needs some recognition in helping to promote cartilage health. Consuming more lemon water each day can get your body the necessary Vitamin C to boost cartilage health.

37. Supports Strong Bones

Given that Vitamin C plays a pivotal role in cartilage maintenance, it's logical that certain studies suggest this robust vitamin fosters bone health.

Vitamin C is crucial for your body's capability to sustain the strength of your bones and teeth. Thus, it's wise to ensure adequate calcium intake alongside boosting your Vitamin C levels, a goal effortlessly achievable with lemon water.

38. Makes Skin Glow

If you are looking for healthier-looking skin, lemon water can promote this too. Lemon water helps clear out toxins that affect how your skin looks and feels. And it also encourages collagen production, which is the chemical responsible for keeping away wrinkles and making your skin springy and taut.

39. Protects Skin From Sun Damage

Skin cancer is a leading cause of death in many people who are constantly exposed to UVB radiation.

Studies indicate that the antioxidants found in Vitamin C help to protect the skin cells from harmful radiation. This has the added benefit of fighting the signs of aging and wrinkles that prolonged sun exposure can cause.

40. Supports Liver Health

There is evidence linking Vitamin C deficiency to liver disease and lost liver function. That said, it’s reasonable that upping Vitamin C intake by drinking lemon water would support liver function.