Is a lemon juice and maple syrup fast effective and safe?

The lemon juice fast for ten days – which for many experts is too long – was proposed in 1941 by the American naturopath Stanley Burroughs. His goal was detoxify the body. However, it is currently touted as a miracle weight loss method. What are the real effects? How is it done correctly?

Is fasting beneficial?

Fasting from 12 to 72 hours long—much shorter than Burroughs proposed—is associated with a number of benefits in healthy people:

Help to control blood sugar and decreases insulin resistance. A study led by Dr. Kerry Mansell, from the University of Saskatchewan (Canada), showed that fasting for 18-20 hours improves early blood sugar and promotes weight loss.Reduces inflammation, which decreases the risk of developing cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases and cancer, among others. Helps to regulate blood pressure and cholesterol and triglyceride levels.Improves brain function and prevents neurodegenerative disorders.Activate the metabolism and promotes weight loss.

How Lemon Juice and Maple Syrup Fasting Helps

The effects of the lemon fast are based on the properties of the lemon itself, together with those of the maple syrup and those of cayenne pepper.

The lemon contributes vitamin C and organic acids that promote liver function. It also contains antioxidant and anti-inflammatory active ingredients such as hesperidin, diosmin, eriocitrin, narigin and naringinin. These compounds can fight the accumulation of fat. Cayenne pepper contains capsaicin, which activates metabolism and digestion. A review of studies led by Dr. Richard D. Mattes of Purdue University (United States) also showed that capsaicin is a thermogenic chemical that stimulates fat burning. Maple syrup provides carbohydrates and minerals, They also have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

In general, lemon juice fasting provides between 625 and 1,250 calories per day, so it reduces your usual calorie intake and helps you lose weight and eliminate toxins, but it should be done with caution, only if you are completely healthy and do not overdo it. is below optimal weight.

If you experience unpleasant side effects, you should immediately end your fast.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages

fasting can help you lose weight thanks to the temporary restriction in calorie intake and the fat burning effect of the preparation.El lemon helps control acidificationexcessive of the body. detox produced can contribute to health.

Disadvantages

The lemon can cause heartburn. oral mucosa and tooth enamel can be attacked by lemon. To avoid this, drink with a cane and rinse your mouth after drinking the juice.A yo-yo effect can occur: after fasting you can quickly regain the weight you have lost. Remember that at the end of the fast you must recover a complete and balanced diet and perform physical exercise. more carbohydrates than fats and proteins, most essential nutrients.

How to fast with lemon juice

During fasting, only a drink made of water, lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne powder is taken:

Ingredients for a glass:

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about the juice of one lemon) 2 tablespoons maple syrup 1 pinch cayenne powder 300 ml water

This drink is taken 6 to 12 times during the day.

There are protocols that recommend maintaining this fast for 10 days or 7 days in a more accessible version. In these prolonged fasts it is advisable to carry out three days of adaptation:

On the first day, the usual diet is followed, but ultra-processed foods, caffeine, added sugar, dairy products and meat are eliminated if you are a consumer. On the second day, solid foods are replaced by green smoothies, broths and soups . Fresh fruit and vegetables are consumed. On the third day, lemonade and freshly squeezed orange juice are taken, as well as infusions. The remaining 4 days, only lemonade is taken and diuretic infusions if desired. Later, at the end of the fast, the reverse adaptation: one day you drink orange juice, the next you introduce smoothies, broths and soups, and the next, fresh fruits and vegetables.

Is prolonged lemon fasting safe?

This very strict fast entails a nutrient deficiency, especially proteins and fatty acids, for a long time. There is a risk of losing muscle mass and damaging the state of the intestinal microbiota.

A good part of the benefits of a fast are due to the fact that the metabolism is put into a state of ketosis, that is, it goes from obtaining the most energy from glucose to doing so from the reserve fats in the body. But this change does not occur if they are ingested more than 50 g of carbohydrates per day.

This figure is exceeded with the protocols established for the lemon and maple syrup fast, since a minimum of 12 tablespoons of syrup containing 156 g of carbohydrates. Therefore, if there is any benefit to the lemon and maple fast, it is only because of the reduction in usual caloric intake.

Other proposals for fasting and a restrictive diet that allow a moderate intake of food opt for those that provide protein, fat, minerals and vitamins, in amounts that do not exceed 500-800 calories per day, and are taken within a window of 6-10 hours. (so you don’t eat anything for a continuous period of 14-18 hours). This is the intermittent fasting proposal that has the most scientific support.

If you still want to try the lemon and maple syrup fast, the sensible thing to do is limit it to 2-3 days, and then resume a complete and balanced diet with the right proportions of protein, carbohydrates, fat, fiber, minerals and vitamins.

Scientific references:

Michitaka Naito et al. Lemon Polyphenols Suppress Diet-induced Obesity by Up-Regulation of mRNA Levels of the Enzymes Involved in beta-Oxidation in Mouse White Adipose Tissue. Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition.

Satyajit D. Sarker et al. Effect of citrus flavonoids, naringin and naringenin, on metabolic syndrome and their mechanisms of action. Advances in Nutrition.

Richard D. Mattes et al. The Effects of Capsaicin and Capsiate on Energy Balance: Critical Review and Meta-analyses of Studies in Humans. Chemical Senses.

Kerry Mansell. Effects of intermittent fasting on health markers in those with type 2 diabetes: A pilot study. World Journal of Diabetes.