Side Effects And Risk Factors
In moderation, lemon water can be a part of a healthy diet. Nonetheless, lemons are high in acid, which can have some harmful effects. People with cavities or weak teeth should avoid drinking lemon water, as should people who are allergic to citrus.
Dentists warn patients to avoid eating or drinking too many acidic foods that may damage their tooth enamel. Over time, highly acidic foodslike lemonscan erode your enamel and lead to tooth pain or decay.To protect your teeth, dilute your lemon juice with plenty of water and rinse your mouth with water immediately after finishing your cup of lemon water. Avoid drinking lemon water with sugar. If you drink lemon water frequently, consider using a soft-bristle toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste. An older 2004 Duke research study done in guinea pigs indicated that too much vitamin C could actually worsen knee osteoarthritis symptoms. While this study did not evaluate how high doses of vitamin C impact human subjects, you should consult your healthcare provider about these risks if you are at risk of osteoarthritis or have been diagnosed with the condition.
How Does Baking Soda Work For Gout
The premise behind ingesting baking soda for gout is that it helps to increase the bodys alkalinity. One study found that adult patients with type 1 diabetes that were given 2 doses of 1,950 mg of oral sodium bicarbonate over twenty-four hours experienced normalized urine pH and decreased UA crystals.
Another study concluded that the alkalization of urine is effective for facilitating uric acid secretion. This particular study successfully alkalized urine through diet and not through ingesting baking soda.
Weight Gain And Gout: What’s The Link
Several studies have associated excessive body weight with high levels of uric acid, the trigger behind gout. A research published in the journal Arthritis Research and Therapy found a direct link between our waistline and the high risk of this form of arthritis. The study authors observed that research volunteers with high levels of abdominal fat had 47.4 per cent risk of a flare-up while those with a lean body were vulnerable to it by 27.3 per cent.
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Is Lemon Juice Good For High Uric Acid
If you have read the section I just explained you already know the answer for this question. I would personally recommend to all people who have high uric acid levels to consume as much of lemon juice as possible, probably daily, in order to get the best results. Keep in mind that a single glass can decrease uric acid by a low percentage, therefore you need to consume more of this beverage. In addition, you can also feel much better and you will get more energy.
Try to be creative and to make similar beverages which are even more delicious, but contain lemon juice. The possibilities are literally endless. There are so many guidelines on the web, so you can always choose the one you prefer the most. In general, the lemon juice is the main ingredient. Everything else is just an addition used to make that beverage suits your needs better.
What Is Gout And What Triggers It
To combat the symptoms of gout, one must understand what it is and how its caused.
Gout, at its most basic level, is simply a type of arthritis that affects a singular joint at a time .
Its often very painful and comes or goes in what sufferers refer to as flares. Commonly, it is the big toe joint thats affected the most.
Studies by the CDC explain that gout is typically caused by a condition called hyperuricemia.
This is where too much uric acid is present in the body, causing a build-up of acidic crystals in the joints and tissues.
In very rare cases, a patient with hyperuricemia will not develop gout or gout symptoms.
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How Lemon Juice Actually Works
We all know that the main cause for gout attacks is the uric acids which form crystals in the joints. Well, lemons affect the uric acids, due to the fact they contain citric acid. This type of acid will decrease the levels of the uric acid and literally protect you from gout attacks. Furthermore, the acid is great for the liver and it also prevents forming kidney stones. Believe me, you definitely want to avoid them, simply because they will cause a lot of pain and plenty of issues you dont want in your life.
The situation known as a gout attack occurs in the most cases when the pH level of your body is < 7. The condition is known as acidosis and it is a severe condition which is mainly responsible for gout. Lemon juice, when consumed properly, will create or increase the ingredients known as calcium carbonate. They will literally reduce the levels of uric acids and they will protect you from the gout attacks. As I have mentioned earlier, they will also eliminate the risk of forming kidney stones, which are problematic.
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All you have to do is to squeeze lemon in a glass of water and drink it after a meal. Here is no such possibility to do something wrong. Regardless of the fact how much of lemon juice you consume, there are no side effects and you can feel only better. It isnt wondering why in so many restaurants you get a lemon juice glass in the summer. It will cool down your body, refresh you and literally make you feel better.
Benefits For Arthritis And Gout Patients
When you have arthritis or gout, it’s important to stay hydrated, and drinking enough water is the best way to do that. Lemon water can be a healthier alternative to sodas or sugary beverages and it also has specific benefits for arthritis.
First, vitamin C may prevent the onset of arthritis in the first place. A 2004 study found that people who get 40 mg of vitamin C a day are significantly more likely to develop inflammatory arthritis than those people who consume 40 to 65 mg.
Vitamin C can prevent future arthritis symptoms. Patients need vitamin C to maintain strong joints and recover from injuries. At least one study has found that arthritis patients who consume high doses of vitamin C show reduced long-term damage to their joints.
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How Lemon Juice Works For Gout
Studies have shown that lemons as well as tangerines, oranges and clementines are highly effective at neutralizing uric acid in the body, thus reducing the risk of gout attacks. So, if you have gout, you should definitely consider this natural remedy
When your body reaches highly acidic levels, uric acid begins to crystallize in the joints and can cause an attack of gout. Even worse, this crystallization can occur in the kidneys producing kidney stones which you really want to avoid, believe me!
The best way to address this is to maintain your body slightly on the alkaline side. Lemon juice can help do that. It stimulates the production of calcium carbonate which helps to neutralize uric acid, thereby decreasing acidity and moving to a more alkaline state.
Heres what Dr. Zina Kroner D.O. wrote on Dr. Ronal Hoffmans Intelligent Medicine website
Uric acid crystallizes and forms stones in an acidic environment. One way to prevent this is by alkalinizing the urine or making it more basic. Urine alkalinization can be achieved with administration of potassium citrate or sodium bicarbonate as directed by your physician. Lemon juice stimulates the formation of calcium carbonate, which neutralizes acids like uric acid. Therefore, drinking freshly squeezed lemon in a glass of water after meals can prevent a gouty attack. Baking soda also can help alkalinize the urine.
Energy Drinks And Gout Risk
Coffee isnât the only beverage of which to be wary. Consuming some energy drinks is akin to going on a caffeine binge. These drinks may also be high in sugar, so you could be risking a âdaily double” for gout risk. “No studies have evaluated the impact of energy drinks on gout. However, as the majority of these drinks are sweetened with fructose, one can infer that they are likely to also increase gout attacks,” warns Sloane. Not everyone with high uric acid gets gout pain, but studies show that uric acid is increasing in the American diet. Protect yourself by keeping an eye on what you eat and what you drink.
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Lemon Juice For Gout: Does It Help
Lemon juice has long been used to help cure a variety of ailments, including nosebleeds, dizziness, as a remedy for anemia and as a way to stop painful migraines.
As well as a source of citric acid, lemon contains folate, potassium, and vitamin C. Its also very low in cholesterol, sodium, and saturated fat, making lemon highly beneficial for your overall health.
But, its ability to neutralize uric acid is what makes lemon juice a great natural remedy for gout, a painful form of arthritis which affects about 13 million Americans .
Heres everything you need to know about taking lemon juice for gout, including how it works to help your gout symptoms, and how to take it.
Myths And Facts About Gout
There are several incorrect common beliefs about gout.
One of the most popular is that gout only affects the big toe. But this is not true. The first gout attack usually occurs in the lower limb , but later almost any joint can be affected.
It is also often reported that the underlying problem for most gout sufferers is that their bodies produce too much uric acid. But this is not true. More than 90% of gout sufferers get rid of too little uric acid in their kidneys. This poor renal secretion of uric acid can be the result of kidney problems, high blood pressure, excess alcohol consumption or medication for example diuretics or drugs used to treat TB infection. In addition, certain genes result in too little uric acid being secreted from the body, and thus increase the risk of gout.
Read:5 dietary changes to avoid gout
Another common belief is that acidic foods cause gout. But acidic foods such as tomatoes and oranges cannot cause or worsen gout.
Rather, foods high in purines can increase the risk of gout, particularly in someone who is secreting too little uric acid. Some foods have a very high purine content. These include seafoods such as mussels, lobster, sardines and salmon, as well as beer, bacon, liver, sweetbreads, turkey, veal, and high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup is often found in processed foods such as soft drinks, chips and biscuits, syrups, chutneys and sauces.
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Ways To Treat Gout And Get Rid Of Joint Pain For Good
Gout can negatively affect the quality of a persons life in many ways, but over-the-counter and prescription medications are often too risky to consider.
Because gout develops in bodies that are not functioning properly, it makes more sense to fight gout naturally, avoiding the unnecessary side effects of pharmaceuticals.
Therefore, by fueling our bodies with healthy foods instead of potentially harmful medications, we provide it with the tools required to do a more efficient job.
Although there is no cure for gout yet, there are at least three self-directed methods that can help you treat and/or manage the condition without medication:
Lemon Juice And Baking Soda Claims
Lemon juice and baking soda are part of a home remedy treatment for gout that is not based on research. Supporters claim that the combination works by reducing the acidity in your blood, including uric acid levels, which is the chemical in the blood that causes the inflammation in your joints. But a review of the current clinical guidelines for gout published in 2012 in Arthritis Care and Research makes no mention of the benefits of either lemon juice or baking soda in treating gout.
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Apple Lemon Ginger Juice Cleanse Starter Recipe
Start your day the right way with this energizing recipe of apple, lemon, ginger and cayenne pepper.
This recipe focuses on the big three detoxifying ingredients, apples, lemon, and ginger. A great first juice of the day, this one will get the detox process going and the added heat from the cayenne jump starts the metabolism.
We like to use this cold press juice recipe as our starter juice during a juice cleanse.
Learn more about detoxing and how to do a juice cleanse in our blog article here or that includes a 3-day juice fast plan, recipes, and a shopping list.
Equipment note: We used the M-1 commercial juice press to make this juice recipe, but you can use pretty much any type of juicer. Just keep in mind that the quality will always be higher when using a juice press.
Learn more about the industry-leading commercial juicers we use to make our recipes.
Add Lemon To Other Drinks
But, remember that you can add lemon juice to anything. Lemon is delicious in iced tea for a refreshing summer drink.
Or try adding a few squeezes or slices of lemon to green tea. This is a great idea as green tea has natural anti-inflammatory properties which can also help with gout symptoms.
Adding lemon and fresh lemon juice to all these different drinks can also help you to consume more liquids than you might usually have done.
Drinking two to three liters of liquid each day is important to help your kidneys flush out excess uric acid and to prevent uric acid crystals forming in your joints.
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Gout: Dr Rosemary Leonard Advises On Symptoms And Treatment
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Experts say the lemon juice should be added to around 8 fluid ounces – or 225ml of cold water so it can be easily absorbed into the system.
However Dr Brewer also recommended taking vitamin C tablets which she said could work even faster.
Dr Ronald Hoffman, writing in Intelligent Medicine, said a build up of uric acid can be prevented by ‘alkalising the urine or making it more basic.
He said: Lemon juice stimulates the formation of calcium carbonate, which neutralises acids such as uric acid.”
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Although lemon is a citrus fruit and are acidic on their own – the effect on they have on the body is alkalising and experts have said it can raise the pH of the body tissue.
Experts have also suggested that adding a teaspoon of baking soda also helps ease gout.
Gout can be caused by health conditions such as obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes but can also be developed in people suffering with kidney problems.
People are advised not to eat food which cause a build up of uric acid.
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Helen Bond, Seven Seas consultant dietician, said: Gout can be aggravated by a diet high in animal protein and by alcohol, so limit your intake of meat and avoid alcohol completely during a gout attack.
As uric acid is made in the body from the breakdown of purines that come from your diet, you need to cut down the amounts of foods that you eat that are high purines including offal, game, seafood, meat and yeast.”
Soft Drinks And Gout Risk
Several studies have found an increased gout risk from sugar-sweetened drinks. This link has been found in both men and women. One large study found that just one sugar-sweetened drink per day doubled a woman’s risk of developing gout compared with women who had less than one sugar-sweetened drink per month. “Studies show that sugar-sweetened drinks and fruit juices are associated with an increased incidence of gout attacks. Interestingly, these studies show that diet soda intake is not related to increased frequency of gout attacks,” says Sloane.
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Is Lemon Juice A Possible Treatment For Gout
Gout Treatment
According to statistics, around 4 % of the population in the United States is suffering from gout. It is a type of inflammatory arthritis that can cause severe pain and stiffness in the joints of the affected person. The main reason for the development of gout is the high uric acid levels in your body. The uric acid will form into sharp crystals and accumulate in your big toe and other joints and cause severe pain, swelling, and tenderness.
It is very important to seek immediate gout treatment because high uric acid levels can cause kidney problems and joint damage. Even though there are gout medications, a carefully planned gout diet will help in lowering the uric acid levels in your body. Health experts often recommend adding lemon juice to your diet. This is mainly because lemon juice offers many health benefits, including alleviating the symptoms of gout and lowering the risk of kidney stones.
Side Effects Of Too Much Lemon Juice
The medical studies reported that the adults treated with lemon juice didnt have any side effects. However, lemon juice is still acidic until your body digests it. The natural lemon acid can wear away the enamel of your teeth.
It may also irritate your mouth, throat, and stomach. To prevent these side effects, avoid drinking pure, undiluted lemon juice. Rinse your mouth with water or brush your teeth right after drinking lemon water.
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Caffeine And Gout Risk
Studies show that caffeine may protect you from gout because caffeine is similar in chemical structure to a common gout medication. But other research shows that increasing your caffeine intake can actually trigger gout pain â in fact, one study found that suddenly doubling your caffeine intake could increase the risk of gout symptoms by up to 80 percent. So if you are a coffee or tea drinker, caffeine could be helping protect you â just remember that a sudden binge could bring on a gout attack.