Side Effects of Drinking Too Much Lemonade
Diet & NutritionBeverages
Explore This Topic

Can Drinking Too Much Lemonade Be Unhealthy?

Can Drinking Too Much Lemonade Be Unhealthy?
istetiana/Getty Images
By
Andra Picincu, CN, CPT
Updated on August 6, 2025
by

Imagine coming home from work and quenching your thirst with a glass of ice-cold lemonade. It’s light, refreshing, and bursting with flavor. But did you know that lemonade benefits your health? That’s right — but the key is to enjoy it in moderation, and skip the sugar. Lemons are also highly acidic, so too much lemonade may risk dental issues, acid reflux, or migraine attacks in some people.

Homemade lemonades can be a lot healthier than commercial versions. The latter often contain sugar, synthetic flavors, and chemicals that may affect your health. Prepare this beverage at home using lemons or fresh lemon juice, water, and stevia. Add a few sprigs of mint for extra flavor.

Is Lemonade Healthy?

This summer favorite is loaded with vitamin C, flavonoids, and phytochemicals that support health and well-being. Its nutritional value, though, depends on the ingredients used. You can make your own lemonade and substitute sugar for stevia, use a lemonade mix, or purchase ready-made lemonade.

You can also make lemonade from premade powdered mixes. One serving (about one cup) of this type of lemonade provides:

  • 37 calories per serving
  • 48 grams (g) of carbs
  • 24 g sugar
Depending on the ingredients you or a commercial producer uses, this beverage can exceed 30 grams of sugar per serving. Store-bought varieties are typically the highest in sugar, as manufacturers often add sugar to preserve the beverage’s flavor, color, and texture.

Each gram of sugar has 4 calories. If you add too much sugar, the calories will add up. Women should avoid consuming more than 25 g of sugar per day. Men, on the other hand, should limit their daily sugar intake to 36 g per day.

However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that lemonade is bad for you. If you prepare it at home and skip or limit the sugar, you’ll get a healthful beverage. Most recipes call for water, lemon juice or whole lemons, and other fruits. Lemons and their juices are chock-full of nutrition, offering significant doses of citrus flavonoids, vitamin C, potassium, and other bioactive compounds.

A review published in 2025 assessed the potential health benefits of citrus flavonoids. These include naringenin, hesperidin, and other antioxidants. The flavonoids in citrus fruits improve insulin response and glycemic control, suppress inflammation, and protect against oxidative stress. Additionally, they help in the prevention and treatment of heart disease.

Studies have shown that these phytochemicals may help to protect the liver, reduce cancer risk, control blood lipids, support kidney function, and reduce blood pressure.

Lemonade Provides Benefits From Vitamin C

Lemons are also an excellent source of vitamin C, or ascorbic acid. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends getting 90 milligrams (mg) of vitamin C daily.

 The juice of one freshly squeezed lemon provides 18.2 mg of vitamin C, or around 20 percent of your daily recommended vitamin C intake.

Your body needs this water-soluble vitamin to synthesize collagen and L-carnitine. Vitamin C also acts as an antioxidant, scavenging free radicals and reducing cell damage.

Vitamin C also supports the proper functioning of the nervous system and helps maintain homeostasis, the body’s ability to maintain its temperature, fluid levels, carbon dioxide levels, and other vital biological processes.

However, commercial lemonade may not contain real lemons. The production of this beverage often uses lemon juice concentrate, powdered lemonade mix, and other synthetic ingredients that offer little nutritional value — not to mention the extra sugar and empty calories. Homemade lemonade is your best choice.

Unexpected Side Effects of Drinking Too Much Lemonade

Lemonade may cause adverse effects when consumed in large amounts. Heartburn, tooth decay, and weight gain are all potential side effects.

An occasional glass of lemonade is unlikely to harm your health. Too much of it, on the other hand, can irritate mouth sores and cause tooth decay in the long run.

Citrus fruit juices, including lemons, are particularly high in citric acid. Even though lemon juice offers plenty of benefits, it can erode tooth enamel, which contributes to tooth decay and gum disease.

It’s best to limit the consumption of highly acidic juices. It’s also recommended that you use a straw and wait 30 minutes before brushing your teeth after drinking acidic beverages or eating acidic foods. Drinking plenty of water can also reduce acidity in the mouth. The same goes for soft drinks and sports beverages.

If you have acid reflux or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), lemonade can worsen your symptoms. GERD treatment aims to reduce acidity in the stomach.

However, citrus fruits, such as lemons, oranges, and grapefruits, are highly acidic and may worsen heartburn. Carbonated beverages, garlic, onions, chocolate, coffee, tomato, fried foods, and spicy foods have similar effects if you have GERD or are prone to acid reflux.

Citrus fruits may also trigger migraine attacks in some people with that condition, although migraine triggers are unique to the individual.

Citrus fruits, coffee, tea, and red wine contain natural compounds that inhibit SULT1A enzymes. As these may play a role in processing brain and nervous system chemicals, some researchers suggest that this is how citrus fruits may worsen migraine attacks.

The Takeaway

  • Moderation is key with lemonade. Excess consumption, particularly of commercial, sugary products, can lead to unwanted health effects like weight gain and tooth decay.
  • Homemade lemonade can provide health benefits, if made without too much added sugar. Lemons’ vitamin C and citrus flavonoid content can support heart health and reduce inflammation.
  • Drinking too much lemonade, specifically if you’re prone to conditions like acid reflux or migraines, can worsen symptoms due to its high acidity.
  • If consuming lemonade, consider using a straw and rinsing with water to protect your tooth enamel. Those experiencing adverse effects should consult a healthcare professional for guidance.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Lemonade, powder, prepared with water. U.S. Department of Agriculture: FoodData Central. April 1, 2019.
  2. Food Preservation: Preserving Food With Less Sugar. Ohio State University. October 22, 2024.
  3. Added Sugars. American Heart Association. August 2, 2024.
  4. Xu Y et al. Bioactive Flavonoids Metabolites in Citrus Species: Their Potential Health Benefits and Medical Potentials. Frontiers in Pharmacology. March 3, 2025.
  5. Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. March 5, 2024.
  6. Lemon juice, 100%, freshly squeezed. U.S. Department of Agriculture: FoodData Central. October 31, 2024.
  7. Vitamin C: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. National Institutes of Health: Office of Dietary Supplements. July 31, 2025.
  8. Mititelu-Tartau L et al. Editorial: Vitamin C From Bench to Bedside. Frontiers in Nutrition. April 29, 2024.
  9. How to Choose Drinks That Are Good for Your Teeth. Penn Dental Family Practice. January 12, 2023.
  10. What to Eat When You Have Chronic Heartburn. Harvard Health Publishing. July 20, 2023.
  11. GERD Diet: Foods to Avoid to Reduce Acid Reflux. Harvard Health Publishing. July 31, 2023.
  12. Migraines: A Plant-Based Prescription for Migraines. Physicians Committee for Responsible Migraine.
  13. Vuralli D et al. Migraine Susceptibility Is Modulated by Food Triggers and Analgesic Overuse via Sulfotransferase Inhibition. The Journal of Headache and Pain. March 14, 2022.
Meet Our Experts
See Our Editorial PolicyMeet Our Health Expert Network
kayli-anderson-bio

Kayli Anderson, RDN

Medical Reviewer
Member of American College of Lifestyle Medicine

Kayli Anderson has over a decade of experience in nutrition, culinary education, and lifestyle medicine. She believes that eating well should be simple, pleasurable, and sustainable. Anderson has worked with clients from all walks of life, but she currently specializes in nutrition therapy and lifestyle medicine for women. She’s the founder of PlantBasedMavens.com, a hub for women to get evidence-based, practical, and woman-centered guidance on nutrition and cooking, hormone health, fertility, pregnancy, movement, mental well-being, nontoxic living, and more.

Anderson is board-certified in lifestyle medicine and serves as lead faculty of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine’s (ACLM) "Food as Medicine" course. She is past chair of the ACLM's registered dietitian member interest group, secretary of the women's health member interest group, and nutrition faculty for many of ACLM's other course offerings. She is the coauthor of the Plant-Based Nutrition Quick Start Guide and works with many of the leading organizations in nutrition and lifestyle medicine to develop nutrition content, recipes, and educational programs.

Anderson frequently speaks on the topics of women’s health and plant-based nutrition and has coauthored two lifestyle medicine textbooks, including the first one on women’s health, Improving Women's Health Across the Lifespan.

She received a master's degree in nutrition and physical performance and is certified as an exercise physiologist and intuitive eating counselor. She's a student of herbal medicine and women's integrative and functional medicine. She lives with her husband in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, where you’ll find her out on a trail or in her garden.

See full bio

Andra Picincu, CN, CPT

Author
See Our Editorial PolicyMeet Our Health Expert Network