Side Effects of Lemon Juice You Didn’t Know About

Lemon juice may cause excessive dry and flakey skin. The acid in lemon juice may cause your pimples to sting or possibly bleed. Citric and ascorbic acids are strong antimicrobials, which deter mouth infections, but too much can irritate mucous membranes and cause canker sores. It can trigger heartburn, ulcers, GERD, dehydration and cause kidney problems.



Side Effects of Lemon Juice
Do you know Lemon/Lemon water has side effects too.  Lemon is generally a safe fruit that can be used for culinary and beauty purposes. Many people drink lemon juice with water in the morning as a way to cleanse, make their skin look better and many other benefits that some traditional medicines claim. Along with various benefits, drinking lemon juice/water has side effects too.

Firstly, lemon is very acidic and some people have to avoid it because of its low pH (those with sensitive stomachs). Secondly, lemon is largely used to treat many skin problems like acne scars, pimples and pigmentation, because lemon is slightly acidic, it’s believed that it will help in erasing these problems. But, this is not always true and lemon might have side effects on your skin. Here are some precautions you need to take before using lemons for your face.

Well-known for its traditional medicinal uses and beauty purpose, lemon juice is also known to have side effects on human body. These side effects include tooth erosion, ulcers., upset stomach, GERD, dehydration, kidney & gallbladder problems, frequent urination.
Lemon Juice For Dry skin: If you have dry or normal skin lemon juice may cause excessively dry and flakey skin.
Lemon For Pimples: The acid in lemon juice may cause your pimples to sting or possibly bleed.
Lightens skin: Astringents like lemon juice can cause your skin to lighten.
Not for dark skin: Those with dark skin should avoid using lemon juice on skin as an acne treatment as it can cause dark spots on your skin

Other Side Effects Of Lemon

1. Tooth Erosion

Consuming too many acidic foods or beverages, such as lemon water, causes extensive contact of acid with your teeth. This will erode tooth enamel and make your teeth sensitive, especially to hot or cold foods. To protect your teeth, drink acidic beverages through a straw. Citric and ascorbic acids are strong antimicrobials, which deter mouth infections, but drinking too much lemon juice can irritate mucous membranes and potentially lead to canker sores.

2. Heartburn

Drinking too much lemon with water may trigger heartburn, or make this condition worse if you’re used to experiencing it. Heartburn causes severe burning and pain in your chest. Cutting back on acidic foods and drinks helps to prevent and relieve heartburn symptoms.

3. GERD and Ulcers

GERD is also known as gastroesphageal reflux disorder, symptoms of which are heartburn, nausea and vomiting. GERD symptoms are triggered by fatty, spicy or acidic foods, of which lemon juice is one. Lemon juice can exacerbate GERD symptoms as the acid content can irritate the esophageal lining. If you have ulcers, the increased acid content can also irritate the stomach lining and stop the ulcer from healing properly.

4. Upset Stomach

Drinking too much lemon water may upset your stomach because it retains its high acidity level until further digested. Sometimes increasing stomach acidity is helpful for digesting food, but too much may temporarily irritate mucous membranes and lead to stomach pain and acid reflux or heartburn. To prevent this side effect, start with small amounts of lemon juice and consider drinking it with some food or diluting it with purified water.

5. Frequent Urination and Dehydration

In rare cases, lemon water might have a diuretic effect. Lemons have a high content of vitamin C, or ascorbic acid. This nutrient is well-known for its diuretic properties, which means it increases urine production in the kidneys, thereby helping your body to eliminate excess fluid and sodium more quickly. While regular lemon water, made with a moderate amount of lemon juice or by adding lemon slices to water, loading your water up with large amounts of lemon juice might have a diuretic effect in some cases. If you start to feel dehydrated after heavy lemon water consumption, consider cutting back the amount of lemon juice you add to your drink.

6. Kidney or Gallbladder Problems

The peels of lemons and limes are among a small number of foods that contain measurable amounts of oxalates, naturally-occurring substances found in plants, animals, and human beings. When oxalates become too concentrated in body fluids, they can crystallize and cause health problems. For this reason, individuals with already existing and untreated kidney or gallbladder problems may want to avoid eating lemon or lime peels. Laboratory studies have shown that oxalates may also interfere with absorption of calcium from the body.

7. Wax Coatings

Conventionally grown lemons and limes may be waxed to protect them from bruising during shipping. Plant, insect, animal or petroleum-based waxes may be used. Carnauba palm is the most common plant-source wax. Other compounds, such as ethyl alcohol or ethanol, are added to the waxes for consistency, milk casein (a protein linked to milk allergy) for “film formers” and soaps for flowing agents. Since you may not be able to determine the source of these waxes, this is another good reason to choose organically grown lemons and limes.

Conclusion

Do not drink lemon with water to treat any medical problem without the advice of your doctor. If you experience any side effects from drinking this beverage, stop drinking. If side effects persist, seek medical attention as soon as possible. If you are drinking lemon with water for its vitamin C content for general health, keep in mind that this nutrient is very unstable. Make just half a glass of water with juice from half a lemon or even just a few drops if you have a sensitive stomach, and drink the mixture in one go.