If you’ve been on the Internet lately, you’ve probably heard rumors about lemons being used as a cancer preventative and even cure. As a human who lives on Earth and who will thus probably get cancer at some point, I was pretty interested in finding out more about this rumor. Can it really be true?
Well, yes and no. First of all, no intensive scientific studies have been done on this subject yet, and while there are many researchers currently working on the benefits of many fruits and vegetables (including lemons), until they do rigorous trials we won’t have any clear answers on this subject. So keep that in mind going forward.
But the potential is very promising. Lemons (and other citrus) contain a terpene called D-limonene. This organic compound is where the majority of the health benefits being praised come from. In preliminary tests, women with early-stage breast cancer who were given concentrated D-limonene found a significant reduction in the breast cancer tumor marker cyclin D. Tumor markers are compounds found in the blood that can elevate when certain types of cancer are present. Cyclin D also interferes with certain anti-cancer effects of tamoxifen, which is a common treatment for breast cancer.
Let me break down that scientific jargon for you: basically, some early studies have found that the compound found in citrus noticeably attacks a cancerous symptom in this type of cancer. That is super exciting news, and it seems to be backed up by several other recent studies. Lemon has some pretty significant potential as a treatment option for cancer patients, and maybe even more potential as a possible prevention tactic. Some sites claim that freezing the lemon enhances these traits, but there has been no evidence to back it up as of yet. The consensus seems to be that it definitely helps, they’re just not sure how to harness it yet.
So how can we take advantage of this? Studies say the peel is the most important part of the fruit to consume to make sure you get as much D-limonene as possible. Eat the peel? Yep! There are actually dozens of easy, tasty ways to increase the lemony goodness in your life.
Try to get organic lemons if you’ll be eating the peel. Many non-organic lemons will have a waxy fungicide on their peels that is hard to get off and isn’t something you want to be consuming. You can prepare lemon peel a few ways: peeled or zested. To zest, take a cheese grater and zest the lemon with the finest grain of the grater. Or get fancy and get a specific tool for lemon zesting if you want to make a habit of it. To peel, you can use a potato peeler, knife, or special lemon peeler. Try to only get the brightly colored outer peel, and avoid the thick white pith underneath.
For some amazing recipes from lemon sugar to lemon and rosemary butter to citrus vinegar dipping sauce, check out this great list from Northwest Edible Life. And for a solid dose of lemon, you can always try our delicious lemon poppy seed bread.
Have a happy, healthy day!
