How can lemons benefit our health?
Lemons are a popular fruit that people use in small quantities to add flavor to any delicious food. However, they rarely consume them alone due to their intense, sour taste.
Lemons give flavor to baked goods, sauces, salad dressings, marinades, drinks, and desserts, and they are also a good source of vitamin C.
One 58 gram (g) lemon can provide over 30 milligrams (mg) of vitamin C.
Vitamin C is essential for health, and a deficiency can lead to health problems. The early explorers knew this and took lemons on their long voyages to help prevent or treat scurvy, a life threatening condition that was common among sailors.
This article looks at the nutritional content of lemons, their possible health benefits, ways to use them in food, and any potential health risks.
Benefits
Share on PinterestLemons can be healthful and refreshing.
Lemons are an excellent source of vitamin C and flavonoids, which are antioxidants.
Antioxidants help remove free radicals that can damage cells from the body.
These nutrients can help prevent diseases and boost health and wellbeing.
Here some of the possible benefits of consuming lemons.
1) Lowering stroke risk
According to a 2012 study, the flavonoids in citrus fruits may help lower the risk of ischemic stroke in women.
A study of data from nearly 70,000 women over 14 years showed that those who ate the most citrus fruits had a 19% lower risk of ischemic stroke than women who consumed the least.
Ischemic stroke is the most common type of stroke. It can happen when a blood clot blocks the flow of blood to the brain.
A 2019 population study showed that long term, regular consumption of foods that contain flavonoids might help protect against cancer and cardiovascular disease. However, the study indicated that people who smoked or consumed a lot of alcohol were less likely to benefit.
Potassium may help lower the risk of stroke. Which foods contain potassium?
2) Blood pressure
One 2014 study found that women in Japan who walked regularly and consumed lemon every day had lower blood pressure than those who did not.
More research is needed to identify the role of lemon in this improvement and to discover whether consuming lemon can help reduce blood pressure since walking daily can also lower blood pressure.
3) Cancer prevention
Lemons and lemon juice are an excellent source of the antioxidant vitamin C.
Antioxidants may help prevent free radicals from causing cell damage that can lead to cancer. However, exactly how antioxidants can help prevent cancer remains unclear.
4) Maintaining a healthy complexion
Vitamin C plays a vital role in the formation of collagen, the support system of the skin.
Sun exposure, pollution, age, and other factors can result in skin damage. A 2014 mouse study suggested that either eating vitamin C in its natural form or applying it topically can help prevent this type of damage.
5) Preventing asthma
People with asthma who consume higher amounts of vitamin C and other nutrients when they have a cold may experience fewer asthma attacks, according to one review.
The authors found evidence that vitamin C also benefitted people with bronchial hypersensitivity when they also had a common cold.
6) Increasing iron absorption
Iron deficiency is a leading cause of anemia.
Pairing foods that are high in vitamin C with iron-rich foods maximizes the body’s ability to absorb iron.
However, a high intake of vitamin C can trigger gastrointestinal problems in people who are taking iron supplements. For this reason, it is best to obtain iron from dietary sources, such as beef liver, lentils, raisins, dried beans, animal meats, and spinach.
Squeezing a little lemon juice onto a salad containing baby spinach leaves can help maximize the intake of both iron and vitamin C.
7) Boosting the immune system
Foods that are high in vitamin C and other antioxidants may help strengthen the immune system against the germs that cause the common cold and the flu.
One review found that, while vitamin C supplements do not appear the reduce the incidence of colds in a population, they may help reduce the length of time a cold lasts. Vitamin C may also help boost immunity in people who are undergoing extreme physical activity.
Squeezing a whole lemon into a glass of hot water with a large spoonful of honey makes a soothing drink for someone with a cough or cold
8. Help Control Weight
Lemons are often promoted as a weight loss food, and there are a few theories as to why this is.
One common theory is that the soluble pectin fiber in them expands in your stomach, helping you feel full for longer.
That said, not many people eat lemons whole. And because lemon juice contains no pectin, lemon juice drinks will not promote fullness in the same way.
Another theory suggests that drinking hot water with lemon will help you lose weight.
However, drinking water is known to temporarily increase the number of calories you burn, so it may be the water itself that is helping with weight loss — not the lemon.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is an necessary nutrient and an antioxidant.
Scurvy
If a person does not consume enough vitamin C, they will develop a deficiency, which is known as scurvy. It is rare in the United States, but it can affect people who do not have a varied diet.
Symptoms can start to appear within a month of not consuming vitamin C, and they include:
malaise (a feeling of being unwell)
inflammation of the gums or bleeding gums
red patches on the skin due to blood vessels breaking beneath the surface
joint pain
slow wound healing
loosening of teeth
Many of these happen when the connective tissues weaken due to the lack of vitamin C.
Now,I think you are understand the benefits of lemon in our health.. Thanks for read my article.
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