Lemon juice is rich in vitamin C. Some studies show that vitamin C can affect urate excretion through the kidneys.
Another randomized trial on 184 healthy people also recorded that supplementing 500 mg of vitamin C/day for 2 months reduced uric acid by an average of about 0.5 mg/dL compared to the placebo group.
In addition to vitamin C, lemon contains citrate - a compound that can change the composition of urine.
Citrate is specifically studied in the field of kidney stones, but that does not mean it has the effect of treating gout. Because gout involves monosodium urate crystals in the joint, the disease mechanism and treatment target are different from urinary stones.
Therefore, drinking lemon water should be considered a supportive habit in the diet, not a "dissolve" gout crystal method.
If you want to use lemon juice, the simplest option is diluted fresh lemon juice, without or very little sugar. This helps increase the amount of fluid entering the body without adding too much sugar.
This is especially important for gout patients. A high-sugar diet, especially drinks high in fructose, can increase the risk of increased uric acid and gout attacks. Therefore, if you mix lemon with a lot of sugar or use bottled lemon juice with a lot of sugar, potential benefits may be affected.
Patients also do not need to force themselves to drink a lot of lemon water. Filtered water should still be the main source of fluid. The appropriate amount of water depends on age, exercise level, weather and heart and kidney condition.
The most important point is that lemon juice cannot replace anti-uric acid drugs when patients have treatment indications.
Therefore, patients can maintain a glass of diluted, sugar-free lemonade throughout the day as part of a healthy eating habit.
But to control gout in the long term, it is necessary to prioritize reducing alcohol, limiting purine-rich foods and fructose-rich drinks, maintaining a reasonable weight, drinking enough water and adhere to medication as prescribed.
