Proponents claim the mixture helps burn fat and relieve headaches and diarrhea.
Since coffee and lemon have many proven benefits, you may wonder if drinking them together provides additional benefits.
This article examines the science behind lemon coffee to help confirm or refute claims circulating online.
Drink with two common ingredients
Coffee and lemon are two basic ingredients that can be found in almost every kitchen.
Coffee, one of the most consumed beverages in the world, is produced by brewing ground, roasted coffee beans (1).
In fact, about 75% of people report drinking it daily, mainly because of the caffeine it contains, which stimulates the central nervous system and improves alertness and mood (1, 2, 3).
On the other hand, lemons are a fruit that belongs to the citrus genus. They are the third most produced citrus fruit in the world after oranges and tangerines (4).
They are an excellent source of vitamin C and antioxidants—along with many other beneficial plant compounds—which is why they have been used for centuries for their medicinal properties (4).
The lemon coffee trend involves mixing 1 cup (240 ml) of coffee with the juice of 1 lemon.
While some may think it's an unusual combination, others think the benefits outweigh the weird taste - although science may disagree with this claim.
Summary:
Coffee and lemon are two main ingredients that are beneficial for your health. While some believe that mixing these two foods provides impressive benefits, science may not agree.
What is cinnamon
Cinnamon is a specially processed and dried bark of trees of the cinnamon genus, the laurel family, growing in India, Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon), some areas of China, Brazil, and Madagascar. Ceylon cinnamon is considered the most aromatic and has a delicate taste, and it is the one that is most valued in cooking.
In nature, the cinnamon tree grows up to 12 meters high, but on plantations it is cultivated only to the state of a shrub due to the constant cutting of young shoots and the removal of thin strips of bark 25-30 cm long, which are dried and rolled into tubes or simply bent.
Most often, cinnamon is used in ground form as an additive to confectionery products and baked goods: cakes, pastries, biscuits, gingerbread cookies, pies and pies, casseroles, puddings, etc. Ground cinnamon is widely used to prepare various kinds of seasonings and sauces for dishes, especially in oriental cuisine, giving them a slightly pungent taste and a pleasant aroma. Typically, the spice is added at the last stage of preparation (if possible, if the recipe allows it), because high temperature with prolonged exposure significantly weakens the aromatic properties of the spice.
Ground cinnamon is a brown powder of different shades, depending on the type of cinnamon tree. The powder can range from a fine powder to a fine-grained state, depending on the grind.
Coffee and Lemons Have Many Health Benefits
Both coffee and lemon have many proven health benefits, mostly due to their high antioxidant content. Antioxidants are molecules that protect your body from the harmful effects of excessive free radicals (5).
Here's an overview of the benefits each of these products has to offer.
Scientifically proven benefits of coffee
Roasted coffee beans contain more than 1,000 bioactive compounds, but caffeine and chlorogenic acid (CHA) stand out as the key active compounds with antioxidant capacity (6).
These two compounds have been shown to activate pathways that protect against cancer growth, which links coffee to a reduced risk of developing several types of cancer, including liver, prostate, endometrial, breast, gastrointestinal, and colorectal cancers (6, 7) , 8, 9).
In addition, coffee has been associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, heart and liver disease, as well as depression, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease (1, 6, 7, 10).
Finally, the caffeine it contains is responsible for the drink's energizing effect, positive effect on endurance, and ability to increase the number of calories you burn, leading to weight loss (3, 11, 12, 13).
Scientifically Proven Benefits of Lemon Juice
Lemons are an excellent source of vitamin C and flavonoids, which act as powerful antioxidants (14).
Both vitamin C and citrus flavonoids have been associated with a lower risk of developing specific cancers, namely esophageal, gastric, pancreatic, and breast cancers (15, 16, 17, 18, 19).
Plus, both compounds offer protection against cardiovascular disease, and vitamin C protects your immune system and helps fight infections (15, 19, 20, 21).
As you can see, coffee and lemons have a wide range of beneficial properties that protect your body from chronic diseases. However, mixing the two does not necessarily result in a greater benefit.
Summary:
Coffee and lemon contain beneficial plant compounds with anti-cancer properties. They can also protect you from chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.
Popular Health Claims about Lemon Coffee
There are four main health claims about lemon coffee.
Here's what science says about them.
Claim 1: Helps melt body fat
This concept is common among various lemon trends, but at the end of the day, neither lemon nor coffee can melt fat.
The only way to get rid of unwanted fat is to either eat fewer calories or burn more calories. Therefore, this statement is false.
However, research shows that coffee can help you lose weight, so some people may experience slight weight loss after drinking the drink.
Recent research has shown that caffeine may stimulate brown adipose tissue (BAT), a type of metabolically active fat tissue that declines with age and can metabolize carbohydrates and fats (12).
One test-tube and human study found that caffeine present in a standard 240 ml cup of coffee can increase EAST activity, causing an increase in metabolic rate, leading to weight loss (12).
Likewise, earlier studies from the 1980s and 1990s explain that caffeine can increase your metabolic rate within 3 hours of taking it, increasing the number of calories burned by up to 8–11%—meaning you could burn an additional 79– 150 calories per day (22, 23, 24).
However, the potential weight loss effect may be due to the caffeine present in coffee and not to drinking the coffee-lemon mixture.
Claim 2: Relieves headaches
Headaches and migraines are considered the leading causes of disability among people under 50 years of age worldwide (25).
Hence, you can often find several home remedies to treat them. However, research is very different when it comes to using coffee for this purpose.
One hypothesis suggests that the caffeine in coffee has a vasoconstrictor effect—meaning it constricts your blood vessels, which reduces blood flow to your head and reduces pain (26).
Research also shows that caffeine may enhance the effects of medications used for headaches and migraines (26, 27, 28).
However, another hypothesis is that caffeine may be a cause of headaches in some people, along with other drinks and foods such as chocolate, alcohol and citrus fruits such as lemons (25).
Therefore, drinking coffee with lemon can relieve or worsen headaches. And if this drink helps reduce pain, it will be due to the caffeine contained in coffee, and not due to the combination of coffee and lemon juice.
Claim 3: Reduces diarrhea
This remedy requires drinking ground coffee with lemon rather than drinking it as a drink.
However, there is currently no evidence to support the use of lemon to treat diarrhea, and coffee stimulates the colon, which increases the need to have bowel movements (29).
In addition, diarrhea causes significant fluid loss, which can lead to dehydration, which can worsen the diuretic effect of coffee (30, 31).
Claim 4: Benefits the skin
Research shows that the antioxidants in coffee and lemon can benefit your skin, so there seems to be some truth to this claim.
On the one hand, the CHC contained in coffee improves blood flow and skin hydration.
Research shows that consuming it can reduce skin flaking, improve smoothness, and reduce skin barrier breakdown (32, 33, 34).
On the other hand, the vitamin C found in lemon can stimulate the production of collagen, a protein that gives your skin strength and elasticity and reduces skin damage caused by free radicals caused by sun exposure (15, 35, 36).
However, you can still reap these beneficial effects by drinking coffee and lemons separately, as there is no evidence that the effect occurs only when they are mixed.
Summary:
Coffee appears to be responsible for most of the purported benefits of drinking lemon coffee, although lemons also play an important role in skin care. However, there is no evidence that they should be taken together for greater benefits.
How to cook at home
In order to enjoy a great drink, you don’t have to go to the nearest coffee shop, because you can arrange it at home.
Turkish coffee recipe with cinnamon
Recipe for cooking at home
A simple classic recipe prepared at home will not leave indifferent even the most picky coffee gourmet.
What you will need:
- water – 200 ml;
- coffee (ground) – 2-3 tsp;
- cinnamon (ground) - on the tip of a knife;
- sweetener - to taste;
- Turk.
Cooking process:
- Cinnamon and coffee are lightly roasted over low heat in a dry turk to obtain a richer taste.
- The powder is stirred for 3 minutes, and a coffee and spicy aroma must be felt from the mixture. This is an indicator that there was no mistake in choosing coffee (the counterfeit does not have a rich taste).
- A sweetener is added to the mixture and filled with water.
- Heat the liquid over low heat until foam appears. The drink should not boil.
- When the foam begins to creep up, the Turk is lifted and waited for it to disappear. This must be done at least 5 times.
- After the Turk is removed from the heat, the contents are poured into the dishes.
How to cook with ginger and cinnamon
Ginger will help you warm up during the cold season.
Coffee in combination with ginger and cinnamon can strengthen your immune system, fight viruses and stress. It is better to cook it in winter, because... In summer, increased sweating is possible.
What you will need:
- water – 250 ml;
- ginger (you can use both fresh and powdered) – a thin slice or 1 pinch;
- cinnamon – 2 g;
- coffee 2 tsp;
- sweetener - to taste.
Preparation:
The coffee is prepared according to the classic recipe and when water is added to the pot, ginger is added next.
How to make with cinnamon and vanilla
This drink acquires a soft, sweet aroma.
With the addition of vanilla, coffee acquires a delicate aroma and taste.
What you will need:
- coffee – 2 tsp;
- water 200 ml;
- vanilla – 5 g;
- cinnamon – 2 g;
- sugar - to taste;
Preparation:
- coffee and cinnamon are poured into the Turk as in the standard recipe;
- after the water is poured into the coffee, vanilla and sugar are added;
- The drink is infused for 2 minutes and is ready to drink.
How to brew coffee with milk and cinnamon
For those who cannot drink strong coffee
This drink is loved by many due to its delicate, light taste. When preparing it, it is better to use a coffee machine, but you can also do it in a Turk.
What you will need:
- water – 250 ml;
- milk – 120 ml;
- cinnamon – 2 g;
- coffee – 2 tsp;
- sugar - to taste.
Preparation:
- Mix milk and cinnamon in a heatproof bowl and boil.
- Brew coffee in your usual way and add sugar.
- Mix coffee and milk.
How much and how to cook with cloves and cinnamon
Just a little bit of cloves should be added so that it does not overwhelm the taste of the coffee.
Spices add piquancy to the taste of coffee without overpowering it. A good option to diversify your everyday life.
What you will need:
- mineral water – 200 ml;
- cinnamon – 0.5 tsp;
- ground cloves or pepper 1 g;
- sugar - to taste;
- coffee – 2.5 tsp;
How to cook:
- in the Turk you need to mix coffee, sugar and spices;
- mineral water is poured into the mixture;
- the mixture is brought to a boil and when foam appears, remove from heat;
- you need to put it back and do the procedure 3 more times;
- pour into prepared dishes;
- To obtain a bright taste, it is recommended to drink brewed coffee.
Potential harms of coffee with lemon
Just like the benefits of lemon coffee, the downsides of drinking this drink come from the downsides of each ingredient.
For example, evidence suggests that strong coffee drinkers may become caffeine dependent, which is recognized as a clinical disorder by the World Health Organization (WHO) (37).
Further research also shows that regular caffeine consumption is associated with sleep disturbances and associated daytime sleepiness, as well as an increased risk of miscarriage (7, 38).
Regarding lemons, in general, in rare cases, some people may be allergic to the juice, seeds, or peel of the citrus fruit (39).
Summary:
While coffee and lemon are two highly consumed ingredients, coffee can impair sleep, cause caffeine addiction, and increase the risk of miscarriage. Meanwhile, lemons in rare cases can cause allergies.
Summarize
- Coffee and lemons provide great health benefits, mainly due to the antioxidants they contain.
- However, there is no evidence to support the claim that drinking coffee with lemon will eliminate diarrhea or melt fat.
- As for the rest of the stated beneficial properties of the mixture, you can take advantage of them by drinking coffee or lemon juice separately. So, there is no need to mix these two ingredients if you don't want to.
Coffee, Lemon
Chaga - beneficial properties and contraindications
Since the chaga mushroom itself and its derivatives: teas, infusions, decoctions, are not medicines, a contraindication may only be intolerance to this plant by humans. In other cases, it is not only indicated, but also recommended.
In particular, the use of chaga for medicinal purposes is:
- prevention of dysbiosis, in particular that which appeared after a long course of antibiotics.
- any viral and fungal infections of the skin;
— gastrointestinal diseases (gastritis, including chronic, colic, gastric and duodenal ulcers);
- high sugar, diabetes mellitus;
— hypertension and its prevention, increased venous and blood pressure.
