The recipe is simple: eat a squeezed lemon before any main meal. Its followers believe that juicing is able to cut off the absorption of fat from the following foods. But nutritionists say this is nothing more than just a belief.
Lemon does have digestive properties, but they are far from preventing fat absorption.
Nutritionist Omar de Faria explains that when fruit acid comes into contact with the intestinal mucosa, a hormone called secretin is released. It regulates the release of sodium bicarbonate in the body, neutralizing stomach acid in a chemical reaction necessary for fat digestion.
“Secretin sends a message to the liver to prepare it to digest fats. But it is not able to dissolve fats, it only facilitates digestion,” explains the specialist who works in Brasilia.
Furthermore, the fruit contains limonene, a substance found particularly in citrus peel, which modulates the intestinal microflora. Although limonene works to absorb fat, its effect is reduced and cannot negate the effects of a fatty diet.
Nutrition expert Bruno Roy says that drinking unsweetened lemon juice to lose weight is one of the most widespread myths. “Juicing creates an acidic environment, which facilitates digestion, but there is no such thing as weight loss. “To lose weight, you need to reduce calories,” Bruno explains.
1/14
Follow the health editorial On Instagram And stay up to date on everything related to the topic!