03/05/2021
[Long Article Below]
“Corona virus (sic) arrives in any country, sooner or later...so please use as much as possible of natural vitamin C to strengthen your immune system,” the post reads.
“Slices of lemon in a cup of lukewarm water can save your life”.
The theory here is that the coronavirus (COVID-19) cannot live in acidic environments. By drinking or lemon juice or lemon water is enough to kill it. The idea is that by consuming lemon, you’ll raise your body’s pH level, which the virus cannot survive in.
Unfortunately, this theory is wrong. Lemon juice or lemon water will not protect you against COVID-19.
There are so many different types of viruses out there and some viruses actually are more or less susceptible to acidity than others, so you could see why someone might think this could work when it comes to coronavirus.
However, one study showed how well a virus, in particular, the coronavirus, can survive in outdoor environments. The study was based on pH levels. Lemon juice is just acidic fluid and the virus was shown to be viable down to a pH of three, which is right where lemon juice would be on the pH scale.
The study found that the virus can survive in acidic environments. Therefore, drinking lemon juice or water is not going to be useful in killing coronavirus. It is also worth mentioning that you cannot change the pH level of your body just by eating or drinking something.
Now for those people who actually have a sore throat, gargling with warm salt water can sometimes give you some relief. But it’s best to stay away from drinks like lemon juice or orange juice because those things can irritate an already inflamed throat.
The World Health Organization’s recommendations include washing hands regularly and thoroughly, coughing and sneezing into a disposable tissue, and staying at home, if you feel unwell.
Reference:
https://factcheck.afp.com/false-claims-drinking-water-lemon-can-prevent-covid-19-circulate-online
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/can-drinking-lemon-juice-kill-covid-19/