A viral post on social media accompanied by a video shows a woman losing weight after consuming a glass of hot water mixed with half lemon juice and a half teaspoon of Coffee. The video also shows this as a doctor’s suggestion. There are also a few similar videos on social media which make similar claims. Let’s fact-check these claims.
Claim: Drinking Coffee with Lemon helps lose weight
Fact: There is no conclusive evidence to prove the role of Lemon Juice in human fat reduction. Studies show that drinking a heavy coffee dose can help lose moderate amounts of fat, but it has its side effects. Finally, there is no conclusive scientific evidence to prove that drinking Coffee with lemon can help shed fat. Hence the claim made in the post is Misleading.
To verify the claims made in the post, we looked for scientific studies. According to a study by Harvard, drinking four cups of coffee per day could reduce body fat by 4%. Derrick Alperet, the co-author of the study, opines that this could be because of Caffeine in the Coffee, which increases the metabolism and helps burn more calories and hence causes a decrease in body fat.
However, Alexandra Sowa, MD, a metabolic health physician, clinical professor of medicine at NYU School of Medicine and founder of Sowell Health, in an article published by goodhousekeeping.com, says, “No doctor I know would ever recommend this as a way to lose weight,” because such caffeine boost to the body will be short-lived as the body begins to tolerate the Caffeine level.”
Use of Lemon for weight loss
We came across a study from 2008 which proved the effect of lemon polyphenols in fat reduction. But the study was performed on Mice, and no studies prove lemon’s efficiency in human fat reduction.
“Lemon water is not a miracle weight-loss food,” says Elizabeth Dejulius, a registered dietitian nutritionist with Cleveland Clinic, in an interview for TIME. According to her, lemon water could help in reducing body fat indirectly. Adding lemon to plain water could encourage people to drink more water because of the taste and stay hydrated, which counters the Thirst-Triggered food cravings. She says that thirst is often misunderstood as hunger.
Beth Czerwony, RD, a registered dietician, says, “There is nothing in lemon juice that is going to burn fat or a chemical connection to make that happen. Sorry to say, it’s not that easy.” Further, she adds, “The water keeps you fuller, which works to keep down hunger cues that make you want to eat,” explains Czerwony.
Healthline.com, writing on popular claims about drinking coffee with lemon, states that “…..neither lemon nor Coffee can melt off fat.” Noting that the claim about drinking Coffee with lemon helps melt off fat is false; the article notes that the only way to lose weight is by consuming fewer calories or burning more.
With all this evidence, we can conclude that there is no credible evidence for stating that drinking Coffee with lemon helps shed fat, and hence, the claim made in the post is misleading.
