SpiritlyANurse

Lemon water has always been a trend that I see often on YouTube videos/shorts especially with influencers talking about glowing up, or weight loss. I think most of us have heard that if you drink lemon water in the morning, it is good antioxidant for your body, can boost metabolism and help you lose weight.

But is this really true or is this a bunch of made up facts that highlights lemon water as some sort of magic water without scientific back-up?

Honestly, this trend has never been something that I was very interested in, but because I noticed my fasting sugar level has been higher than normal and did not want to go to the doctor to check if I am actually prediabetic (even though I probably am since I have been eating not-so-healthy)…I wanted to do something about my health.

To discipline myself, I am following my father’s advice to drink lemon water before eating any food, do a light walk or exercise for 10 minutes after eating, and lengthen time between meals to at least 12 hours. Whether I maintain this advice everyday…is another story. However, because there’s so many controversies of whether lemon water is effective for health, and I even saw a recent reddit post for this topic (about how lemon water is a scam, or a magic water), I am curious myself, and wanted to research if lemon water is just as powerful as others say.

I am curious and hope my research will help answer a couple questions about lemon water:

1. Does it matter if you drink lemon water in the morning before anything else?
2. Does lemon water actually help boost your metabolism and boost weight loss?
3. What are the other health benefits of lemon water?

I will also be writing results of my personal 22-day study on drinking lemon water. Before that, let me begin with some characteristics of lemon, proved by reputable scientific studies.

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Table of Contents

Components of Lemon including Vitamin C, Polyphenols, Citric Acid

Lemon is a citrus type fruit containing many nutritious vitamins including Vitamin C, small amounts of Vitamin A and Vitamin B9 (Folate), and moderate amounts of antioxidant properties such as carotenoids and polyphenols from the peel. [1] Another significant property found in lemon is citric acid. [1].

A single lemon is a powerful source of Vitamin C and consumption of it can provide up to 88% of the daily recommended intake of Vitamin C [1]. Vitamin A actually derives from carotenoids, which are the components causing the yellow and orange pigmentation of lemons [1].

Vitamin C has many health benefits including the biosynthesis of collagen (important for healing wounds and strengthening connective tissues), and also protein metabolism [2]. Vitamin C can also regenerate antioxidants within the body and improve the immune system through iron absorption [2].

Polyphenol, which is an antioxidant and anti-flammatory micronutrient, have various types , including Eriocitirn which is the main polyphenol in lemons and found both in the juice and peel of the lemon [3].

In a study conducted in mice to evaluate the effectiveness of anti-aging through the consumption of eriocitrn, results of shown an increased lifespan of 3 weeks, delayed physical signs of aging including slower progression of periophthalmic lesions or eye inflammation, reduced hair coarseness and hair loss [3].

There were also delays in age-related decline in movement and slightly improved cognitive function [3]. Anti-aging effects from eriocitrin were shown to be stronger physically than mentally [3].

In an alternative study with mice, consumption of lemon polyphenols proved to reduce body weight, and significantly lower fasting serum glucose and insulin concentrations and have quicker metabolism of fats [4].

Citric acid is another component of lemon which has significant health benefits. One of the health benefits includes lowering blood pressure and eliminating the formations of kidney stones[5].

22 Day Personal Study of Lemon Water Intake

For 22 days, I will drink lemon water at any time of the day before I have any food intake, and measure variables such as sleep, skin, mood, hunger, and weight. I will drink 500 ml of water combined with half squeezed lemon.

Baseline Data on Daily Habits Before Lemon Water Intake

I want to talk about my daily habits before I start assessing any changes with the lemon so I can have a more accurate comparison of changes after 22 days.

Overall Health:
Per my last doctor’s visit in August 2024, (yes, I know it has been 2 years since I had a check-up) my labs were normal other than a slight increase in cholesterol due to consumption of Popeyes the night prior to my blood draws. There were no indications of pre-diabetes or other health issues.

On 2/6/26, I measured my fasting blood sugar and had a result of 105 on my left finger, and 103 on my right finger which is slightly above normal. Normal fasting blood sugar is 70 to 100.

Sleep Schedule and Energy Levels:
My sleep schedule is pretty irregular because I have two jobs with varying start times. Some days, I would wake up before 6 am and other days I would wake up at 9, 10, sometimes 11. I usually sleep between 9 pm to 2 am.

My energy levels are usually pretty low with the feeling of wanting to nap especially during the afternoon. I also have low motivation for social interactions, outdoor activities, most of the time when I get home from work, I want to laze around and stare…I mean watch TV.

Eating Habits and Types of Foods I eat:
I usually do not eat breakfast especially on days I have to wake up before 6 am, and eat lunch at around 11 am to 12 pm. I drink boba and soda a few times a week but have been trying to cut down on sugary drinks. Generally, I eat a lot of sugary and processed foods such as fast food (McDonalds, In- N- Out, Chick-Fil-A, KFC – and it doesn’t help that most times at work management would buy us fast food).

I eat a lot of red meat, but have been implementing leaner meats such as chicken and salmon into my diet. I am also trying to eat more variety of vegetables since I usually only eat carrots and cabbage. I don’t eat fruits very often. I try not to eat past 7 pm.

Hydration:
Overall, I am pretty well hydrated as I drink at least half a gallon (approximately 2 liters) of water daily. This is just plain water with nothing added in it and the amount is not including additional liquids such as soup that I would prepare for meals.

Exercise:
I started walking after eating for about 10 minutes for a week now, so I don’t feel the urge to nap right after I eat as I used to do before. I started going the gym two weeks ago and go every other day after work or at night for at least 40 minutes of treadmill (run and walk). On days, I do not go to the gym, I walk for about 30 minutes to an hour. I do not do any weight-training.

Skin:
To maintain my skin, I wash my face with water only in the morning, and use a facial cleanser at night when I shower. Every night, I use toner and moisturizer on my face.

I do not have any pimples on my face, some blackheads, and whiteheads side of the nose, and have occasional red spots on the right side of my face and forehead that usually fades away throughout the day. Noticeable shine on my face from certain lighting.

TLDR:
I have a varying sleep schedule, eat and drink mostly processed food, pretty sedentary lifestyle, with light maintenance for my skin. Low energy levels throughout the day, and little to no motivation for new activities.

Result Prediction – Will Drinking Lemon Water for 22 days have Positive Effect(s) for my body?

I believe there will be a moderate change despite the short amount of time for measuring this study. I think the biggest factor is that I go from barely eating any fruits to drinking lemon which is very rich in Vitamin C, and from the studies above…………I also think that I will have less cravings for sweets and have more motivation to do things because…..Naturally, I think I will lose weight because along with less cravings, and if I continue staying consistent with exercise and eat more whole foods, I won’t gain weight have less puffy face and less bloating.

What Will Be Measured During This Study and How?

How well I sleep, if my skin has improved, if my mood has improved, if I feel less hungry, and if I lost or gained weight.

Mood is assessed in terms of motivation levels, and

I will be recording data throughout the day. Specifically, assessment of the skin will be completed first thing when I wake up in the morning, and record how well I slept the night prior. Energy level will also be tracked. No pictures of the skin will be taken since this is a personal study and I do not wish to reveal my face for this mini-project, instead the skin will be described to the best of my abilities.

Since I understand that there are a lot of factors affecting hunger levels including the amount of food eaten, and time length between the meals, I will be measuring my hunger level before any food, and after dinner (if I felt the urge to snack or had cravings)

My weight will be measured first thing in the morning.

22 Day Table and Trends

Day	Lemon Water Intake Time of the Day	Sleep and Energy Levels	Skin	Mood	Hunger	Weight (kg)
1	11 am	I woke up at 9:28 am and felt refreshed for the first hour and a half before I started to feel sleepy again. I felt low energy levels at around 2 pm.	No changes	Neutral: I did not feel any specific motivation to work on particular activities.	The first meal of the day was at 12:33 pm. I did not feel hungry prior to the meal. The last meal of the day ended at 6:24 pm. I had no cravings or hunger any time before I went to bed.	61.5
2	7 am	I felt alert when I woke up at 5:50 am. Felt sleepiness at 8:08 am to 11:03 am. I usually “crash” 30 minutes to an hour after lunch, but this time I didn’t.	There is slight redness on the right side of my face but my face doesn’t feel puffy at all.	I feel pretty motivated despite feeling sleepy in the morning. A lot of new ideas were coming up in my mind and had a drive to enact on it.	I felt some hunger (tolerable) from the time I started drinking lemon water until I had my first meal of the day at 11:03 am. I had no cravings.	61.4
3	1:08 pm	I woke up at around 8:30 am and I felt alert. I took a nap at 5:10 pm to 6:40 pm and felt a little bit drained when I woke up.	There is no puffy-ness on my face. At 9:07 pm, my face looked a bit shinier and brighter than before. However, I noticed a red spot under my right nostril (itchy).	I felt motivated and was more productive than usual.	I had no hunger or cravings in the morning. My first meal of the day was at 2:22. I became hungry at 7 pm. During this time, I had cravings for soup but no sweet things. I feel like I am drinking less water than before (no urge).	62.14
4	6 am	I woke up at 5:45 am and felt alert. I started to feel sleepy after work at 3:50 pm all the way until I came back from work. I felt extremely sleepy after dinner at 5:30 pm.	My skin was clear and I didn’t note any puffiness on my face.	I didn’t feel particularly motivated since I was pretty tired after work for the rest of the day. Note: I had a sore throat that started since last night	My first meal of the day was at 1645 (did not bring lunch), but I had no sugar cravings (or any cravings).	62.59
5	5:50 am	I woke up at 5:45 am and felt alert. I felt sleepy at 3:30 pm, and took a nap at 5:15 pm.	My face was puffy but clear in the morning with slight bloating in the stomach.	I was not motivated to do anything especially after work. Note: No more sore throat, but had notable congestion and increased pressure in the head.	I felt hunger at 11:03 and had my first meal of the day at 1:12 pm. I was craving boba and savory foods at 7:10 pm at night. I ended up eating a late dinner at around 7:30 pm. (I indulged in boba at around 9 pm)	Obtained weight of 62.23 at night.
6	11 am	I woke up at 9:24 am and felt well rested.	My face was a little puffy and had a bloated stomach.	I was very motivated in the morning and afternoon. Note: No more pressure in the head, and improved congestion.	My first meal of the day 1:03 pm. I did not notice any cravings.	62.14
7	5:50 am	I woke up at 5:45 am and felt alert. I did not feel tired at all.	My face looked less puffy, but no bloat.	I was not motivated to do any work.	My first meal of the day was at 11 am and the last meal of the day was at 6pm. I did not feel any hunger today.	62.12
8	11:48 am	I woke up at 10: 20 am but felt tired when I woke up. After 30 minutes I felt a little better. I did not take a nap for the whole day, but felt sleepy again at 5pm.	My face was slightly puffy but not bloated.	I did not have any motivation to do any work. No more sinus congestion.	My first meal of the day was at 1:20 pm. I had a boba craving that went away fast at 7:10 pm but I did not indulge in it.	61.33
9	11:20 am	I woke up at 10:55 but I kept trying to go back to sleep. Energy levels ended up being stable throughout the day.	There were no facial puffiness or bloat.	No particular motivation.	First meal of the day was at 11:43 am. I had no particular cravings. Last meal of the day was at 5:30 pm.	61.50
10	6 am	I woke up at 5:50 am and was alert.	Face looked shiny, no facial puffiness or bloat.	No particular motivation.	First meal of the day was at 11 am. I had no particular cravings.	62.50
11	10:46 am	I woke up at 10 am and was alert.	No puffiness in the face or body.	No particular motivation.	First meal of the day was at 1pm and I had no cravings.	61.46
12	9:38 am	I woke up at 5:50 am although I only had 4.5 hours of sleep total. My energy levels did not feel down. In fact, I felt pretty alert for the whole day.	No puffiness in the face or body.	No particular motivation.	First meal of the day was at 11:50 am. I had no cravings.	62.14 (taken at night)
13	10:43 am	I woke up at 10:30 am feeling alert.	No puffiness or body bloating.	No special motivation.	First meal of the day was at 12:13 pm. Dinner was at 8:10 pm. I had no cravings.	61.23
14	7 am	I woke up at 6:45 am feeling alert. My energy levels were stable throughout the day.	No puffiness or bloat.	No particular motivation	First meal of the day was at 9:40 am.	62.59 (night)
15	3:50 pm	I woke up at 10:30 am feeling pretty sleepy. I took a nap at 12 pm.	No puffiness or bloat.	No particular motivation.	First meal of the day was at 5:40 pm. I had no cravings.	61.41
16	10:50 am	I woke up at 10:35 am feeling sleepy.	No puffiness or bloat.	No particular motivation.	First meal of the day was at 2 pm, but I had no special cravings.	61.96
17	6:11 am	I woke up at 5:50 am feeling alert.	No puffiness or bloat.	My motivation to continue this study is dying down and putting less effort to take quality notes.	First meal of the day was at 11:30 am but I had no special cravings throughout the day.	61.82
18	6:15 am	I woke up at 5:50 am feeling alert.	No puffiness or bloat.	No particular motivation.	First meal of the day was at 10:40 am	61.70
19	10:10 am	I woke up at 10:00 am feeling alert.	No puffiness or bloat.	No particular motivation.	First meal of the day was at 5 pm, and I had no cravings.	62.68 (night)
20	10:25 am	I woke up at 9:50 am feeling alert.	No puffiness or bloat.	No particular motivation.	First meal of the day was at 12pm. I had no special cravings.	61.42
21	11:40 am	I woke up at 9:40 am feeling alert.	No puffiness or bloat.	Feeling extremely unmotivated in continuing this study.	First meal of the day was at 12 pm and I craved eating shaved ice and fries at 8 pm.	61.39
22	10:20 am	I woke up at 9:40 am feeling alert.	No puffiness or bloat.	Giving up on the data collection.	First meal of the day was at 10:22 am, no cravings for the day.	61.23

Results, Challenges & Barriers, and Study Improvements

Results:
I only collected 22 days of data because I was lacking the motivation to keep track of…too many things. Despite not finishing the full 30 days of data collection, I did notice changes towards my energy levels for consuming lemon water daily. I definitely felt more alert when I woke up compared to before and did not feel the urge to nap after meals. My energy levels felt more stable throughout the day. I also noticed that I was coming up with cold symptoms starting Day 4, but the symptoms only lasted for around 4-5 days and were less severe than previous colds. My face and body also felt less puffy and bloated, and I for sure had less cravings compared to before I started drinking lemon water daily. However, my weight fluctuated a lot throughout this study and ended up having very minimal change in weight: Day one was 61.5 kg, and day 22 was 61.23 kg (see line graph below).

Challenges:
There are some challenges for this study. First, it is difficult to measure a precise result on lemon water consumption since there are too many other variables that may also affect hunger and weight loss. For example, factors such as the time that food was ate, the amount of food eaten significantly affects hunger levels since eating too soon after drinking lemon water alters the time that the body is hungry.

Furthermore, amount of calories were not tracked so eating too much or too little on a particular day affects weight fluctuations. There were some days that I forgot to take my weight in the morning. There are differences between taking weight before and after food

Barriers:
There really aren’t many recent studies on lemon/lemon water that I had to find other scientific resources that focus on the direct components of lemon and make a claim off of those findings.

Study Improvements:
– 22 days is not enough time for accurate results.
– Replicating the study with a greater population of varying ages can assess the reliability of the findings in a broader population.
– If the population’s only lifestyle change is drinking lemon water, with no other changes such as exercise or eating habits, it may provide more accurate results about the effects of the test.
– Tracking weight at a consistent time each day should result in more accurate measurements.

After Thoughts:
Despite not completing the full data collection of drinking lemon water, I find myself drinking lemon water in the morning habitually. I think it is more fun to drink lemon water compared to plain water and I genuinely think it makes me less bloated.

If people want to start drinking lemon water because of weight loss, there is going to be more than one thing that they will have to change in their life to start seeing drastic results. Lemon water alone is unlikely to significantly aid weight loss; however, when combined with a cleaner diet of whole foods, it may contribute to weight loss. In my experience, it also helps reduce cravings for sweet foods.

Overall, drinking lemon water still has wonderful health benefits including cleaner looking skin, more energy, and healthier immune system.

References

1. Sheikh, K. A., Haokip, S. W., & Shankar, K. (2019). Lemons nutritional facts and benefits to live a healthy life. Biomolecule Reports – An International eNewsletter BR/12/19/09. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/372507042_Lemons_Nutritional_Facts_and_Benefits_to_Live_a_Healthy_Life
2. National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. (2025). Vitamin C: Fact sheet for health professionals. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-HealthProfessional/
3. Shimizu, C., Wakita, Y., Inoue, T., Hiramitsu, M., Okada, M., Mitani, Y., Segawa, S., Tsuchiya, Y., & Nabeshima, T. (2019). Effects of lifelong intake of lemon polyphenols on aging and intestinal microbiome in the senescence-accelerated mouse prone 1 (SAMP1). Scientific reports, 9(1), 3671. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-40253-x
4. Fukuchi, Y., Hiramitsu, M., Okada, M., Hayashi, S., Nabeno, Y., Osawa, T., & Naito, M. (2008). Lemon Polyphenols Suppress Diet-induced Obesity by Up-Regulation of mRNA Levels of the Enzymes Involved in beta-Oxidation in Mouse White Adipose Tissue. Journal of clinical biochemistry and nutrition, 43(3), 201–209. https://doi.org/10.3164/jcbn.2008066
5. Nakamura, K., Suzuki, Y., Goto, K., Yamaguchi, S., & Hiramitsu, M. (2023). Antihypertensive and Vasorelaxant Effects of Citric Acid and Lemon Juice in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats: In Vivo and Ex Vivo Studies. Nutrients, 15(17), 3849. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15173849