Demerits of Drinking Lemon Water Daily

By - Zahin Ibnat

Every now and then, on hot summer days and lazy afternoons, we always appreciate the refreshing power of lemon water. Imagine having a glass of cold lemon water after a workout. How energizing is that!

The advantages of this drink have always enchanted most of us. So, are you among those who have considered lemon water a saint all their life? Well, for a long time I did too! But, as you know excessive of anything is bad. Lemon water is also no different.

There are surely some disadvantages of drinking lemon water daily. Hence, knowing its adverse effects and drinking it at an optimum level will only keep you healthy. Continue reading this article to get a brief idea!

Disadvantages of Drinking Lemon Water Daily

Though lemon water is a lifesaver on many occasion, there are some disadvantages if you drink it quite frequently. Below are some demerits/disadvantages of drinking lemon water daily.

Decay of the Teeth

How do lemons possibly damage your strong teeth? Curious? Here’s how it does it.

There is an outer layer surrounding your teeth which are called enamel. This layer is sensitive to acid. And as you know, lemon is acidic and they have corrosive capacity. It bears the capability of demineralizing your tooth enamel.

In a study, it was found that soft drinks and lemon water are similar when to comes to their corrosive effects on the teeth.

Another study was done where teeth were dissolved both in mineral water and lemon drink. More defect zones were noticed in the one dipped in lemon water.

Convinced enough not to drink lemon water daily? If not, try and follow some precautions. These will help you to reduce the side effects. Following are some tips:

GERD

It is termed Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) when acid often regurgitates into your esophagus (tube linking your stomach and mouth) from the stomach. This irritates the esophageal lining.

One of the major triggers of GERD is a diet containing spicy and acidic foods. As lemon is also acidic, it is said to contribute to developing this certain condition.  It’s more harmful if you drink the lemon water on an empty stomach.

Most people experience acid reflux at some point in their life. It is totally normal to face this. But how will you know if drinking lemon water is worsening your condition and leading to GERD?

Take a look at the GERD symptom:

While you experience a burning sensation in the middle portion of your chest often associated with pain, it is referred to as heartburn.  This burning becomes worse after having a meal but can come anytime. Sometimes it exacerbates in lying position which may interfere with sound sleep.

If you are habituated with drinking lemon water at bedtime, but experiencing this sort of symptom, consult your doctor immediately. He will prescribe you medicines to tame your heartburn. Or you might need to give up the habit of drinking lemon water daily.

However, there are some exceptions. Few people develop GERD without experiencing heartburn.

Might Trigger Ulcer

Are you already suffering from ulcers? Then you must keep a rein on your diet. Acidic and spicy foods should be out of your dietary regimen.

An ulcer is a state in which there is the development of painful sores in the stomach lining and sometimes in the duodenum (upper part of the small intestine). Generally, there is a thick mucus layer that saves the lining of the stomach from digestive juices. But certain things harm this layer and reduce it that ultimately permitting acid to damage the inner tissue.

So, if you are having an already vulnerable stomach, acid from outside will worsen your condition. Moreover, the stomach lining does not have any protective layer in opposition to corrosive effects.

Again, having an acidic drink regularly will stop the healing process of ulcers even if you are under medication.

Increases the Rate of Urination

Lemon water may work as a diuretic. Water itself is an effective diuretic. And diuretics are substances that stimulate urination and increase the rate.

Many fruits including lemon contain potassium that can be a cause of your increased urine output. Again, one glass of warm lemon drink also serves as a diuretic. This also stimulates excessive urine excretion.

In addition, acidic fruits might also irritate your bladder. Hence, this enhances your urination urge. However, pieces of evidence out there are not enough to support this matter.

If you face any sort of inconvenience like this, try decreasing the amount of lemon water you drink daily. In case, this process does not work, talk to your physician about balancing your lemon drink intake.

Can Be a Reason for Dehydration

As said earlier, lemon water might increase the urination rate. This will eventually take out excess water from the body compared to normal. Along with water, it flushes out electrolytes like sodium from your body.

So, at some point after drinking lemon water, you might face the following symptoms of dehydration:

It is better to drink normal water more frequently rather than having lemon water if you get dehydrated. Dehydration might not sound that dangerous as we face this often. But sometimes, dehydration can be serious and might lead to severe conditions.

However, still, there is no established research regarding this aspect.

Lemon Skin Is a Resident for Certain Germs

Some people have the habit of consuming lemon skin too. The high amount of fiber and vitamin C content in it might attract you. Again, you might consider dropping the whole lemon wedge in your drink while in a restaurant.

But, are they safe enough? To be honest, they are not as safe as you think them to be.

Researchers took 76 lemons as samples for testing from various restaurants. Among them, many of were contaminated with pathogens. Some were capable of producing diseases. However, no outbreaks were noticed due to lemons.

But, what’s wrong with staying safe?

Again, did you ever notice lemons in the bare hands of the restaurant employees? If you do, prefer water over your favorite lemon water! This consciousness will certainly save you from unwanted sickness.

Might Stimulate Migraine

Citrus fruits might have a connection with migraines. This is not a well-established fact and is still under study.

However, some studies have proven the fact in this matter.

Lemons contain a high amount of tyramine in comparison to other fruits. Tyramine is a natural monoamine that has a connection with headaches. It is even known as a migraine trigger.

Tyramine facilitates one sort of chain reaction. This causes selective cerebral vasoconstriction subsequently resulting in cranial vessels’ rebound dilation. It is one of the main causes of throbbing headaches. This series of phenomenons is involved with migraines.

Though citrus fruits are not a direct reason behind migraines, they work as stimulation.

So, if you are a migraine sufferer, then try limiting your drink to half a cup of lemon juice (diluted).

In case you have a habit of drinking lemon water daily in the morning or at bedtime, consider having a moderate amount. Besides, you can add some honey to it. Generally, no side effects of drinking lemon water with honey in the morning are noticed.

Moreover, you can consult your physician if you face any disadvantages of drinking lemon water daily including migraines. Follow the given advice to stay healthy.

Canker Sores Might Become Worse

Canker sores are shallow sores in the inner part of the mouth. In medical terms, they are known as “aphthous ulcers”. Generally, they start off as white sores but turn into yellowish ulcers. And redness is also noticed surrounding them.

Mostly, they are painful and may make you uncomfortable while you eat.

There are certain conditions that might cause and aggravate canker sores. Few types of research show that citric acid has a link with aggravation of canker sores. But how does it worsen your canker sores? The mechanism is yet to get explored.

A few types of research proved a link between canker sores and citric acid, its better to abstain from lemons if certain symptoms show up:

You might not be sure about the cause behind your canker sore. But if you doubt that lemon water might be the culprit, try to reduce the amount of your drink. Also, you can visit a doctor to know about the exact cause behind it.

May Have  an Adverse Effect on the Bones

Lemon water might as well have an effect on your bones. Most people might not be aware of it. But some researches have shown that there is a link between bones and lemon water. However, more research is required in this sector.

Lemons may soak up the lubricant present in your joints at a slow pace. And this may become the reason for your bone problems in the future.

In case, drinking lemon water is your everyday habit, think twice about it. Also, try adding honey to it. This will neutralize and minimize the acidic effects of lemon.

Increment in Iron Content

Every mineral is needed in a specific amount in our body. If it exceeds the normal level, they are considered as harmful. It’s the same for iron.

At an optimum level, iron is important in energy production. It is also a very vital part of hemoglobin formation. Hence, also plays part in transporting oxygen throughout the body. In addition, iron also forms a proportion of enzymes that provides antioxidant protection.

Lemon water is said to enhance the absorption of iron. The vitamin C in it is considered as the reason for iron absorption increment.

A study was done on rats regarding this. It was found that this increase in the rate of absorption helped with their iron deficiency anemia.

But in the case of humans, it can be a cause of harm in certain conditions. One of them is hemochromatosis. This is a condition where the body stores excessive iron.

So, if you take lemon in spite of being a sufferer of this condition, it will add to your problems. Both of them will work to increase the iron content of the body. And it will eventually damage your organs.

Look out for the following iron overload symptoms:

Are you having any of these symptoms after having lemon water daily? If yes, you might be having iron overload. Visit a doctor and also consider doing a blood test to know your iron level.

May Trigger Sunburns

Citrus fruits like lemon increase the light sensitivity of your skin. These types of fruits contain psoralens (a furocoumarin group). They are the main culprit behind enhanced skin sensitivity and lead to excessive sunburn. These fruits are also a reason for phytophotodermatitis. This is the worse state of sunburn.

If you apply lemon juice to the skin then it can cause dark spots and blisters. These are phytophotodermatitis symptoms. Other symptoms include:

Studies have shown that psoralens are photocarcinogenic. So, increased citrus fruits consumption may lead to skin cancer known as melanoma.

Melanoma symptoms include:

You might not notice sunburns at an early stage. Now that you know, citrus fruits cause sunburn, be conscious about it. If you notice any of the symptoms, consider consulting a physician to know the remedies.

Final Words

Like every other food, there are pros and cons to drinking lemon water. The advantages of lemon water are always much highlighted. And that is one reason for which the side effects mostly do not come to the scene.

So, is it harmful to drink lemon water daily? There’s no exact answer to this query. This differs from person to person, Hot lemon water benefits are always significant. But there are disadvantages to drinking lemon water daily? Keeping knowledge about them will help you to become conscious about any of its side effects. Always keep your health first and visit a doctor even in case of slight inconvenience.

FAQs

How much lemon water should you drink a day?

Actually, there is no exact recommended amount of lemon water that you should drink daily. Its completely dependent on an individual’s requirement, age, health, etc. Yet, one or two glasses of lemon water each day might be considered safe.

Moreover, people already having tooth problems and intestinal discomforts should consult a physician before drinking lemon water daily.

Is it bad to drink lemon water on an empty stomach?

In general, drinking lemon water in the morning is not considered as harmful. It is said to have several benefits:

Though it has several benefits, sometimes it may cause acid reflux in certain people. For those who are already suffering from heartburn problems, an empty stomach with lemon water might aggravate it.

Does lemon water increase testosterone?

Citrus fruits like lemon are said to be testosterone boosting. They help in lowering the cortisol level. This means testosterone is more unhesitatingly produced.

Moreover, they contain vitamin A that is necessary for testosterone production.

Can lemon interact with medications?

Lemon is not known to interact with any medications. But if you feel any sort of discomfort after drinking lemon water, the doctor’s door is always open for you.