We get these hunger signals to our brain that are often really thirst signals, but your body knows that if it tells you to eat something, in the process of eating, you'll generally consume water. “There are some complex biochemical processes behind it, but the most basic element is that drinking water keeps you full. “There's nothing magic about lemon - it's about staying hydrated by drinking water, and the lemon just adds flavor,” says Dr. You may have heard that drinking lemon water can help you lose weight, but the emphasis here should be on the second word in that phrase, not the first. On to the second ingredient in this magical brew, the tangy yellow citrus fruit, lemon. “No doctor I know would ever recommend this as a way to lose weight,” she adds. Plus, any boost would be short-lived as your body began to tolerate the caffeine, Dr. Sowa points out that to get this benefit, you would need to drink caffeine in large quantities - one study estimated the amount at four cups a day - and that would affect your health in other ways, including decreased sleep, increased anxiety and dehydration. While there is some evidence that this process may increase your basal metabolism rate (the amount of energy your cells burn simply by keeping your basic body functions chugging along), Dr. Sowa explains how: “Caffeine works by blocking a neurotransmitter called adenosine, which can lead to an increase in stimulating neurotransmitters like dopamine, which helps you feel more awake and energized - that’s why we all reach for our morning coffee,” she says.

That's of course thanks to the caffeine, a stimulant that can rev up your body's engine for the day. Now, we should point out that the trend is not without some logic: Black coffee, which is almost calorie-free, has long been a staple of diet plans. And while lemon-flavored coffee isn't quite as unusual as we may think (more on that later), the key question is, does it work? The answer: 'There is no evidence that there is any particular benefit in drinking these two ingredients together,' Dr. “My first thought when I heard about this trend is that it doesn't sound very tasty!” says Alexandra Sowa, MD, a metabolic health physician, clinical professor of medicine at NYU School of Medicine and founder of SoWell Health. so, does it?Įditor's note: We want to acknowledge that weight loss, health and body image are complex subjects - before deciding to go on a diet, we invite you to gain a broader perspective by reading our exploration into the hazards of diet culture. But some might be willing to sacrifice taste if it really works for weight loss. TikToks with the hashtag #LemonCoffee have collectively gathered more than 15 million views, and you could go down a rabbit hole watching an endless stream of YouTube videos that pair questionable 'before and after' photos with shots of someone squeezing a lemon into their morning coffee, then puckering their lips and making squirmy faces into the camera as they drink it down.įor those of us who prefer a sweeter morning pick-me-up (peppermint mocha or pistachio milk mocha with a pack of Equal, anyone?), lemon and coffee does sound bitter rather and frankly kind of disgusting. Still, a year after the puckery coffee combo swept across the internet, many people are still wondering whether it's worth brewing their own version of lemonade-coffee. While the actual drink shouldn't pose any danger to most healthy individuals, weight loss hacks have the potential to be deferential to some.Ĭould it be possible that squeezing a fruit you probably already have in your kitchen into a beverage you probably already drink every morning is the secret to easy-peasy weight loss? The internet wants you to believe, 'Yes, it's JUST that simple!' But just like so many other social media trends that have caught the public's attention (and clicks) over the last few years, drinking lemon coffee to 'Burn Belly Fat!' or 'Drop Weight Fast!' has a lot more hype than science behind it.Coffee and lemon each have benefits on their own, but there is no real science to back up the claim that coffee and lemon is some magical elixir.A recent TikTok trend is encouraging people to add lemon to their coffee to help them lose weight.Does lemon coffee have any health benefits?.

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