Made from water mixed with fresh lemon juice, lemon water is often claimed to offer several health benefits, such as increased energy levels, better digestion, improved focus, and weight loss.

This type of water can be enjoyed either hot or cold. In this article, we will discover whether or not lemon water benefits include weight loss.

Lemon water can keep you hydrated

Staying hydrated is essential to your health. Water can help transport waste out of the body and carry nutrients to cells.

Hydration is therefore necessary to regulate body temperature and improve physical performance. It has also been suggested in some evidence to aid in weight loss.

In fact, increased hydration has been indicated in research to increase fat breakdown and improve weight loss.

It may also help decrease water retention, which may lead to puffiness, bloating, and weight gain.

Since lemon water is mostly made up of water, it can help you stay hydrated.

Lemon water is a low-calorie beverage

A 16-ounce bottle of soda holds 182 calories and a cup of orange juice harbors 110 calories. Whereas a glass of water with juice from half a lemon contains only 6 calories.

This makes lemon water an excellent alternative to soda, orange juice, and other high-calorie drinks.

Drinking lemon water every day instead of any of the high-calorie beverages could decrease your daily calorie intake by 100–200 calories.

In fact, drinking low-calorie beverages like lemon water with meals has been shown in some evidence to reduce the number of overall calories consumed.

For example, a study in 44 women compared the effects of drinking calorie-containing beverages, like sugar-sweetened soda, juice, and milk, and drinking low-calorie beverages.  Researchers found that drinking calorie-containing beverages resulted in increased total calorie consumption.

Above being the case, it can be deduced that drinking lemon water, which is a low-calorie drink, is a great way to reduce calorie intake and eventually lose weight.

Lemon water may help improve metabolism

Drinking enough water has been shown in studies to potentially help boost metabolism.

It has also been suggested in research to enhance the function of mitochondria, which is an organelle that helps generate energy for the body. This can result in an improved metabolism, which may eventually cause weight loss.

For instance, drinking water has been found in one study to boost participants’ metabolic rates by 30% for 30–40 minutes.

Since studies conducted on lemon water and weight loss are limited, further research is necessary.

Nevertheless, since water is the main ingredient, it may have similar metabolism-boosting effects as pure water.

Lemon water promotes satiety

Drinking water promotes satiety and fullness without necessarily adding calories, thus making it an integral part of any weight loss regimen.

In fact, drinking 16.9-ounce water before breakfast has been shown in a 2008 study in 24 overweight and obese older adults to reduce the number of calories consumed in the meal by 13%.

Moreover, drinking water with a meal has also been found in another study to reduce hunger and increase satiety during the meal.

Lemon water being a low-calorie beverage that can promote fullness makes it an effective way to help lower overall calorie intake.

Lemon water may promote weight loss

It can be noted that drinking water has potential beneficial effects on hydration, metabolism, and satiety.

This is enough evidence to conclude that water, including lemon water, could be an excellent weight loss drink.

In fact, people who drank 16.9-oz water before each meal have been found in a 12-week study of 48 adults to lose 44% more weight than those who did not.

Additionally, increasing water intake has been suggested in other research to help stimulate weight loss, even without exercise or diet.

For instance, greater water intake has been found in a 2009 study in 173 overweight women to be associated with a greater loss of body weight and fat over time, independent of physical activity or diet.

It is however important to note that these studies focus on regular water. But as earlier mentioned, lemon water may have similar effects with regular water.

Lemon water has no added benefits over regular water

Lemon water may promote hydration and increase satiety. However, it is noteworthy that these benefits all stem from its main ingredient—water.

Although lemon water does contain vitamin C and antioxidants from the lemon juice, these are unlikely to affect one’s body weight.

Nevertheless, lemon water contains acids, which may have some other benefits, such as kidney stone prevention.

How to make lemon water for weight loss?

A highly customizable beverage, lemon water can be tailored based on your personal preference.

A typical lemon water is made up of a glass of water and juice from at least half a lemon. But you can add a few other ingredients, such as a sprinkle of turmeric or a few fresh mint leaves, to add spice to your drink.

Lemon water can be enjoyed any time of the day although many people prefer to drink it in the morning.

You can drink it with a few ice cubes added or hot like tea. There is little evidence anyway to show that drinking lemon water at certain temperatures makes a difference.

The Takeaway

Lemon water benefits may include weight loss. Like regular water, it supports hydration, promotes fullness, boosts metabolism, and therefore increases weight loss.

However, this does not mean that it is better than regular water when it comes to weight and fat loss.

Nevertheless, it is an easy-to-make, tasty, and low-calorie beverage you can enjoy every day, in place of higher-calorie beverages like juice and soda. That being said, it could potentially improve weight loss and health.