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9 Side Effects Of Lemon Juice: From Tooth Decay To Sunburn And More!
Lemon juice or 'nimbu paani' has gained importance in the fitness world, one of the prime reasons being its ability to help you lose weight. People cherish both cold lemon juice as well as warm lemon juice with honey.
Lemon juice provides you with sufficient amount of vitamin C, improves your skin quality, aids in digestion, hydrates your body, prevents kidney stones and freshens your breath.
There is no doubt about the fact that drinking lemon juice early morning helps to cleanse your system, aids in weight loss and refreshes your skin. However, you must be aware of the side effects of drinking excess lemon juice too.
Here, we have rounded up the side effects of drinking excess lemon juice.
1. Decays Tooth Enamel
You must have noticed that while sucking a lemon wedge, your teeth feel sensitive. This is because of the ascorbic acid touching your tooth enamel [1] . The normal range of pH level for your teeth should be 5.5. If it's below 5.5 the teeth will begin to demineralize and above 5.5 the teeth begin to remineralize.
Lemon juice has a pH level between 2 and 3, so when the ascorbic acid acts on the calcium in the tooth enamel, it leads to the erosion of the tooth. In addition, lemon juice also has natural fruit sugars and the bacteria present in the teeth breaks it down leading to tooth decay.
2. Increases Iron Content
Haemochromatosis
is
an
inherited
condition
that
causes
too
much
iron
absorption
from
the
foods
you
consume.
Vitamin
C
is
known
for
increasing
iron
absorption
from
plant-based
foods
in
the
body
which
is
actually
good
if
someone
is
suffering
from
anaemia.
But,
an
iron
overload
in
the
body
can
damage
your
organs.
And
as
you
know
vitamin
C
helps
in
better
iron
absorption,
your
body
will
start
storing
excess
iron
in
your
joints,
liver,
heart
and
pancreas
which
eventually
damages
them.
So,
if
you
have
haemochromatosis,
cut
down
your
lemon
juice
intake.
3. Worsens Canker Sores
Canker sores are little sores that develop inside the mouth which are often caused by food allergies, hormonal fluctuation, stress, menstrual cycle, vitamin or mineral deficiency, and mouth injury. Citric acid worsens the existing canker sores and may allow them to develop more [2] . Avoid citric acid fruits including lime and lemons.
4. Triggers Migraine Attacks
Drinking lemon juice in excess can worsen migraine attacks in people. This is because lemons contain an amino acid called tyramine which can trigger a migraine attack. According to a study[3] found that around 11 per cent of patients with classical or common migraine reported that eating a citrus fruit like lemon triggered a migraine attack.
5. Causes GERD And Heartburn
Drinking excess of lemon juice can irritate the lining of your oesophagus and stomach causing heartburn or acid reflux and GERD. GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) occurs when acids in the stomach come up into the oesophagus causing heartburn. Acidic foods such as lemons cause heartburn by activating the stomach enzyme pepsin, which is responsible for breaking down protein.
However, lemon juice doesn't alter the actions of pepsin in the stomach, reflux of the stomach's digestive juices leaves inactive pepsin molecules inside the oesophagus and throat. Citric acid comes in contact with this inactive pepsin, activates it and causes damage by breaking down the protein in the tissues.
6. Worsens Gastritis
What happens if you consume too much lemon juice? Your body can't absorb all the vitamin C and it loses its balance. Citrus fruits like limes and lemons can cause gastritis, characterized by inflammation in the lining of your stomach. This is followed by indigestion, stomach pain, heartburn and other symptoms.
7. Worsens Peptic Ulcers
Stomach ulcers, also called as peptic ulcers, develop on the lining of the oesophagus, stomach or small intestine and it's caused by overly acidic digestive juices. Excess intake of lemon juice can worsen peptic ulcers and may take a longer time to heal. This can cause intense pain in the stomach.
8. Frequent Urination And Dehydration
Vitamin C has a diuretic effect which means it helps to get rid of the excess water from the body through urine production. This causes frequent urination. On the other hand, if you start to feel dehydrated after too much lemon juice consumption, you should then cut back the amount of lemon juice.
9. Causes Phytophotodermatitis Sunburn
Citrus fruits such as lemons, grapefruit, limes and oranges can cause a sun-induced skin sensitivity condition known as phytophotodermatitis. This condition occurs when drippings of the lemon juice come in contact with the skin, but it only causes a reaction when the skin is exposed to sunlight and causes sunburn within few minutes in the sun according to a study[4] .
How Much Lemon Juice Should You Drink Per Day?
Drinking lemon juice daily will both keep your body hydrated and healthy. Drinking warm water mixed with lemon juice and honey in the morning is a healthy habit but have no more than 2 lemons a day. And 3 glasses of diluted lemon juice is enough per day.
The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for vitamin C in women is 75 mg and for men 90 mg based on vitamin C's role as an antioxidant and protecting one from deficiency.
- [1] Grando, L. J., Tames, D. R., Cardoso, A. C., & Gabilan, N. H. (1996). In vitro Study of Enamel Erosion Caused by Soft Drinks and Lemon Juice in Deciduous Teeth Analysed by Stereomicroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy. Caries Research, 30(5), 373–378.
- [2] Canker Sores. Retrieved from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/10945-canker-sores
- [3] Peatfield, R., Glover, V., Littlewood, J., Sandler, M., & Rose, F. C. (1984). The Prevalence of Diet-Induced Migraine. Cephalalgia, 4(3), 179–183.
- [4] Hankinson, A., Lloyd, B., & Alweis, R. (2014). Lime-induced phytophotodermatitis. Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives, 4(4), 25090.
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