Will lemon juice help with high cholesterol?

by D.L.

QUESTION: Are there any benefits in having lemon juice in water for high cholesterol?

ANSWER: Drinking lemon water is known to help with lowering cholesterol, but I have not found any clinical studies to prove it.

According to Dr. Carpenter, author of Change Your Water, Change Your Life, chronic dehydration is one of the underlying causes of high cholesterol.

When the body is dehydrated, it will produce more cholesterol to seal off water loss from the cells. Cholesterol deposits within the cell membrane help to prevent additional cell water loss.

If adding lemon juice to water helps people to drink more water, that alone will help prevent high cholesterol. Whether drinking lemon juice will actually lower cholesterol levels, I am not sure.

However, we also know that drinking lemon water will help to purify the blood and improve circulation. In general, it should be beneficial for overall cardiovascular health.

Lemon Juice and Statins

by Patrice
(Kalamazoo, MI)

QUESTION: I am on a statin for lowering my cholesterol. One of the side effects is weakening of the liver. I am wondering if there is a risk of drinking lemon juice while taking a statin?

ANSWER: Since I am not a medical professional, for obvious reasons I cannot comment on any risks associated with statins or any other drug. Thus, my comments here are strictly educational and should not be taken as medical advice.

All I can really tell you is to affirm that lemon juice is effective at strengthening and cleansing the liver, and it is also believed to help lower bad cholesterol. It is also known to help purify the blood and improve blood circulation.

I think it is also important to remember that lemons are still just a food. Even though lemon juice is effective at cleansing the liver, so are a lot of other juices made from foods, such as beets, carrots, broccoli, and spinach.

If your doctor gave you a list of foods to avoid when taking the statin, I would double check that list to see if lemons or lemonade are on there.

Of course, I would not recommend a lemonade diet or a 10-day lemon juice cleanse (such as the master cleanse) to anyone who is concerned about a weakened liver, since these are fairly intensive cleansing programs.

In general, I recommend that when people first start drinking lemon water regularly, they start with a weak dilution of lemon juice. For example, squeezing the juice of one-fourth lemon into 16 ounces of water once a day, and then see how they feel.

After drinking diluted lemon juice once a day, if the person is not experiencing any detoxification symptoms (such as headaches, fatigue, or loose bowels), he or she may want to increase the dilution to one-half lemon per 16 ounces of clean water.

In summary, check with your doctor, use common sense, and I am sure you will figure out the best way to glean the numerous health benefits of drinking lemon juice.

Caution: Most any adult or child can drink lemon juice (in varying dilutions based on size, weight, and taste preferences) other than those with known lemon allergies or ulcers. Consult your health practitioner if in doubt.

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