The lemon detox program is a very
low-calorie diet which consists of a mixture of organic maple and palm syrups, and lemon juice for abstinence period of 7 days. We hypothesized that the lemon detox program would reduce
body weight, body fat mass, thus lowering
insulin resistance and known risk factors of
cardiovascular disease. We investigated anthropometric indices,
insulin sensitivity, levels of serum
adipokines, and inflammatory markers in
overweight Korean women before and after clinical intervention trial. Eighty-four premenopausal women were randomly divided into 3 groups: a control group without diet restriction (Normal-C), a pair-fed placebo diet group (Positive-C), and a lemon detox diet group (Lemon-D). The intervention period was 11 days total: 7 days with the lemon detox juice or the placebo juice, and then 4 days with transitioning food. Changes in
body weight, body mass index, percentage body fat, and waist-hip ratio were significantly greater in the Lemon-D and Positive-C groups compared to the Normal-C group. Serum
insulin level, homeostasis model assessment
insulin resistance scores,
leptin, and
adiponectin levels decreased in the Lemon-D and Positive-C groups. Serum high-sensitive
C-reactive protein (
hs-CRP) levels were also reduced only in the Lemon-D group.
Hemoglobin and hematocrit levels remained stable in the Lemon-D group while they decreased in the Positive-C and Normal-C groups. Therefore, we suppose that the lemon detox program reduces body fat and
insulin resistance through
caloric restriction and might have a potential beneficial effect on risk factors for cardiovascular disease related to circulating
hs-CRP reduction without hematological changes.