How are lemons good for you?

Question

Me, I can handle the sourness of lemons, and last night, I ate a whole lemon. When i go to the store, I buy half a dozen to snack on. Anyhow, since I eat lemons, I was wondering, how are they good for you? I know oranges have lots of vitamin C and are similar to lemons, but how are lemons good for the body? I also put them in fruit salads sometimes and fruit smoothies to give them tang. Anyhow, how are lemons good for the body? Are they good for the body? If so, how?

Answer 1

their main benefits are they're high in vitamin c and theyre low in calories

Answer 2

Whether they are good for you or not is just a matter of perspective.

Answer 3

They have lots of vitamin C but eating lemons as a snack is bad for your teeth. The acid can really do a number on the enamel on your teeth unless you brush your teeth right after you eat them.

Answer 4

YES, they are good for you and your body..

Phytonutrients with Antioxidant and Antibiotic Effects

Lemons and limes contain unique flavonoid compounds that have antioxidant and anti-cancer properties. Of special interest in limes have been flavonoids called flavonol glycosides, including many kaempferol-related molecules. While these flavonoids have been shown to stop cell division in many cancer cell lines, they are perhaps most interesting for their antibiotic effects. In several villages in West Africa where cholera epidemics had occurred, the inclusion of lime juice during the main meal of the day was determined to have been protective against the contraction of cholera. (Cholera is a disease triggered by activity of the bacteria called Vibrio cholera). Researchers quickly began to experiment with the addition of lime juice to the sauce eaten with rice, and in this role, lime juice was also found to have a strong protective effect against cholera.

Several other fascinating research studies on the healing properties of lemons and limes have shown that cell cycles-including the decision a cell makes about whether to divide (called mitosis) or die (apoptosis-are altered by lime juice, as are the activities of special immune cells called monocytes.

In addition to their unique phytonutrient properties, lemons and limes are an excellent source of vitamin C, one of the most important antioxidants in nature. Vitamin C is one of the main antioxidants found in food and the primary water-soluble antioxidant in the body. Vitamin C travels through the body neutralizing any free radicals with which it comes into contact in the aqueous environments in the body both inside and outside cells. Free radicals can interact with the healthy cells of the body, damaging them and their membranes, and also cause a lot of inflammation, or painful swelling, in the body. This is one of the reasons that vitamin C has been shown to be helpful for reducing some of the symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Since free radicals can damage blood vessels and can change cholesterol to make it more likely to build up in artery walls, vitamin C can be helpful for preventing the development and progression of atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease.

Vitamin C is also vital to the function of a strong immune system. The immune system's main goal is to protect you from illness, so a little extra vitamin C may be useful in conditions like colds, flu's, and recurrent ear infections.

Owing to the multitude of vitamin C's health benefits, it is not surprising that research has shown that consumption of vegetables and fruits high in this nutrient is associated with a reduced risk of death from all causes including heart disease, stroke and cancer.

Limonins Support Optimal Health

In animal studies and laboratory tests with human cells, compounds in citrus fruits, including lemons and limes, called limonoids have been shown to help fight cancers of the mouth, skin, lung, breast, stomach and colon. Now, scientists from the US Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have shown that our bodies can readily absorb and utilize a very long-acting limonoid called limonin that is present is citrus fruits in about the same amount as vitamin C.

In citrus fruits, limonin is present in the form of limonin glucoside, in which limonin is attached to a sugar (glucose) molecule. Our bodies easily digest this compound, cleaving off the sugar and releasing limonin.

In the ARS study, 16 volunteers were given a dose of limonin glucoside in amounts ranging from those that would be found in from 1 to 7 glasses of orange juice. Blood tests showed that limonin was present in the plasma of all except one of the subjects, with concentrations highest within 6 hours after consumption. Traces of limonin were still present in 5 of the volunteers 24 hours after consumption!

Limonin's bioavailability and persistence may help explain why citrus limonoids are potent anti-carcinogens that may prevent cancerous cells from proliferating. Other natural anti-carcinogens are available for much less time; for example, the phenols in green tea and chocolate remain active in the body for just 4 to 6 hours.

The ARS team are now investigating the potential cholesterol-lowering effects of limonin. Lab tests indicate that human liver cells produce less apo B when exposed to limonin. Apo B is a structural protein that is part of the LDL cholesterol molecule and is needed for LDL production, transport and binding, so higher levels of apo B translate to higher levels of LDL cholesterol.

Protection against Rheumatoid Arthritis

While one study suggests that high doses of supplemental vitamin C makes osteoarthritis, a type of degenerative arthritis that occurs with aging, worse in laboratory animals, another indicates that vitamin C-rich foods, such as lemons and limes, provide humans with protection against inflammatory polyarthritis, a form of rheumatoid arthritis involving two or more joints.

The findings, presented in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases were drawn from a study of more than 20,000 subjects who kept diet diaries and were arthritis-free when the study began, and focused on subjects who developed inflammatory polyarthritis and similar subjects who remained arthritis-free during the follow-up period. Subjects who consumed the lowest amounts of vitamin C-rich foods were more than three times more likely to develop arthritis than those who consumed the highest amounts.

Hope this helps..

:))

Answer 5

The vitamin c is good for you because it prevents scurvy. It also fights infections and helps to protect the skin from bruising easily. The juice is pure and will count towards your daily liquid intake. You cannot overdose on natural vitamin c but can from ascorbic acid tablets which cause severe joint pain. Remember that too much of anything isn't good. Moderation is key in all things-rock stars should learn that but don't.

Answer 6

It gives you Vitamin C which is good for you because it gives you more energy and the more you have energy, the more thinking you do and the more fun you have. Lemons also can be made into a battery which helps save money instaed of buying some expensive.

Answer 7

You can find the benefits of Lemon on this link

http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=benefit...

Answer 8

Lemon is rich in vitamin C. Vitamin C is very much needed in you body for proper function and nourishment.

Answer 9

SUPER GOOD 4 YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 10

lemon is rich  in vitamin c.an anti oxidant and anti bacterial agent.

Answer 11

Are you a pirate? No? Suffering from scurvy? No?

Well, then, there's no reason to EAT lemons. You can simply squeeze the juice into your salad, on your fish or add some sugar and drink it as lemonade.

Answer 12

Vit. C of course and also they  are a natural diuretic( helps with retaining fluid).

Answer 13

Besides the obvious benefits such as high levels of ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), lemons are especially good for raising the pH of your blood.

This is important because our bodies are most healthy when the blood pH is slightly alkalinic.