Fact-Check: Can Lemons Cure Or Reverse Cancer? Here's What Studies Show

A viral WhatsApp message falsely claims lemon peel can fight cancer but is being gatekept by big corporations.

The viral message claims that lemon extracts are 10,000 times more effective than chemotherapy. 

(Source: WhatsApp/Altered by The Quint)

A message on the health benefits of lemons is being widely circulated on WhatsApp.

It suggests that the lemon peel can help fight various diseases, including cancer, bacterial infections, parasites, high blood pressure, and nervous disorders.

What’s the claim?: A viral message claims that lemon or lemon-tree extracts can destroy malignant cells in 12 types of cancer, and are 10,000 times more effective than the chemotherapy drug Adriamycin (doxorubicin).

The viral message claims that lemon extracts are 10,000 times more effective than the chemotherapy. 

(Source: Whatsapp/Screenshot)

What’s the truth?: The claim is false and widely exaggerated. There is no scientific evidence that lemon juice or lemon peel is superior to chemotherapy or can reverse cancer.

• The belief that lemons could help treat cancer stems from a compound called limonene, found in the oils of lemon and other citrus peels. 

• While limonene has shown some anti-cancer activity in laboratory and animal studies, there is no clinical evidence that people with cancer who consume limonene through supplements or citrus fruits show improvement or are cured.

What we found: We ran a relevant keyword search about whether lemons or compounds in lemon peel can be more effective than chemotherapy.

We also found several scientific studies that have explored the anti-cancer properties of lemon, but these are limited to lab and animal experiments.

• A 2017 study published in the Science Direct by Wamidh H Talib  conducted at the Applied Science Private University in Amman, Jordan, found that a combination of garlic and lemon extracts inhibited breast cancer growth in mice.

• Another 2022 study published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition by Israa A Al-Ataby and Talib conducted at the Applied Science Private University in Amman, Jordan, reported similar effects for lemon and ginger extracts in mice and cell cultures.

• These findings suggest lemon compounds like limonene may have potential anti-tumour activity in vitro, but no human trials have proven they treat or cure cancer.

• We spoke to Dr Sarika Gupta, Senior Consultant of Gynecologic Oncology Surgeon, at New Delhi's Action Cancer Hospital.

She told The Quint that "lemon juice is not an anti-cancer drug and cannot be more potent at killing cancer cells.”

• We also looked at research done by major health bodies, including the National Academies of Sciences and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre, which confirms there is no clinical evidence that lemons or their peels can cure cancer or can be more effective than chemotherapy.

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the 21st century.

• A study authored by Sathishkumar K, Chaturvedi M, Das P, Stephen S, and Mathur P, published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research, states that one in nine people in India is likely to develop cancer in their lifetime. 

• The same study estimates that the incidence of cancer cases will rise by 12.8 percent by 2025, compared to 2020.

Conclusion: The claim that lemon extracts are 10,000 times stronger than chemotherapy or selectively kill cancer cells has no basis in any verified scientific literature.

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