Sorry, but drinking lemon water will not help you lose weight

No

It's one of the supposed "golden rules" of weight loss, and many dieters subscribe to it: drink a glass of warm water to which a squeeze of lemon juice has been added, and you will "cleanse" your digestive system and encourage the release of toxins and excess fat.

Unfortunately, drinking lemon water does nothing more than hydrate your body and provide vitamin C, says Jaclyn Reutens, a clinical dietitian at Aptima Nutrition & Sports Consultants in Singapore.

"From a physiological perspective, being well-hydrated ensures that your organs function normally and your metabolism runs optimally," she says. "The reverse is true when you are dehydrated. The lemon juice, besides being high in vitamin C, adds extra flavour to the water, which is good if you find plain water unappealing.

"When you have a palatable beverage, you tend to drink more of it and this keeps your body hydrated. That's really the only benefit of the lemon juice - the juice itself does not have fat-burning properties."