Lime juice: what the kidney stone trial actually tested

The strongest result carrying the lime's name is about kidney stones, and it used a powder. In a double-blind trial in six Thai hospitals, 173 adults who had calcium oxalate stones removed took 7.75 g a day of a supplement made from lime juice and peel. After 2 years stones had come back in 14% of them against 45% on placebo, with 22 people dropping out along the way. We found no trial of plain lime juice on stone recurrence. The nearest thing is a single glass. In 30 stone formers with low urine citrate, 10 per juice, one 13 fl oz (385 mL) serving of fresh lime juice raised urine citrate about as much as orange or melon juice within 6 hours, though urine pH did not rise. In the kitchen the numbers are modest. The juice of one lime, about 44 g, gives roughly 11 calories and 13 mg of vitamin C by US survey figures recalculated from 100 g.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

As people eat it, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• Freshly squeezed lime juice has 25 calories, 30 mg vitamin C and 117 mg potassium per 3.5 oz (100 g) in the US survey database. — USDA FNDDS 'Lime juice, 100%, freshly squeezed', food code 61207010 Evidence E source
  Per 100 g: 25 calories, vitamin C 30 mg, potassium 117 mg, protein 0.42 g, fiber 0.4 g
• UK tables give fresh lime juice only 9 calories and 1.6 g sugars per 3.5 oz (100 g) with 38 mg vitamin C, far fewer calories than the US figure of 25 calories. — CoFID 2021 entry 14-279 Lime juice, fresh Evidence E source
  9 calories, carbohydrate 1.6 g, vitamin C 38 mg, potassium 110 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g) vs USDA 25 calories

What a real portion looks like

• The juice of one lime weighs about 1.6 oz (44 g) in the US survey, roughly 11 calories and 13 mg of vitamin C, while a wedge gives about 5 g. — USDA FNDDS portions for 'Lime juice, 100%, freshly squeezed', food code 61207010 Evidence E source
  Juice of 1 lime 44 g; wedge 5 g; 1 fl oz 31 g; per-portion values recalculated from 100 g

What your body absorbs

• In 36 iron-deficient Mexican women, 25 mg of vitamin C from limeade with each of two meals for 8 months did not improve hemoglobin or ferritin. — 36 iron-deficient women in two rural Mexican communities, 17 fl oz (500 mL) limeade twice daily, 6 days a week, 8 months (n = 36) Evidence B source
  No final difference in hemoglobin, ferritin or transferrin receptors vs placebo drink

What cooking and storage change

• Bottled lime juice keeps about a fifth of the vitamin C of fresh juice in the US database, 6.4 mg against 30 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g). — USDA FNDDS 'Lime juice, 100%, canned or bottled' (2709185) vs freshly squeezed (2709184) Evidence E source
  Vitamin C 6.4 vs 30 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g); potassium 75 vs 117 mg
• During a 1996 cholera epidemic in Guinea-Bissau, eating rice sauce with lime juice was linked to 69% lower odds of cholera. — hospitalized cholera cases and matched controls, Bissau, 1996 Evidence C source
  OR 0.31 (95% CI 0.17 to 0.56)

What it does to your health

• A lime powder made from juice and peel cut 2-year kidney stone recurrence from 45% to 14% in 173 Thai patients after stone removal. — 173 adults with calcium oxalate stones after removal, six Thai hospitals, 7.75 g powder daily for 24 months (n = 173) Evidence B source
  Recurrence 14% vs 45%, HR 0.24 (95% CI 0.13 to 0.44)

Safety, limits and interactions

• Quarter-strength lime juice did not change the average level of the blood pressure drug felodipine, but more than doubled it in 2 people, and lime juice held 4 times the bergamottin of grapefruit juice. — healthy volunteers, randomized crossover with 8.5 fl oz (250 mL) grapefruit juice, quarter-strength lime juice, red wine or water Evidence B source
  No mean change; >2-fold felodipine AUC in 2 subjects; bergamottin 100 vs 25 µmol/L

What people believe that the data does not support

• A case report describes a woman whose habit of drinking lime juice to lose weight eroded her teeth and caused sensitivity. — one 49-year-old woman (n = 1) Evidence D source
  Erosive lesions on molars, incisors and premolars

What is still unknown

• In 30 stone formers with low urine citrate, 13 fl oz (385 mL) of fresh lime juice raised urine citrate as much as orange or melon juice within 6 hours, though urine pH did not rise. — 30 hypocitraturic stone-forming patients, 10 per juice, single 13 fl oz (385 mL) dose (n = 30) Evidence B source
  Comparable rise in urinary citrate; potassium, pH and alkali absorption rose only with melon and orange

The bottom line

Per 100 g, US data give freshly squeezed lime juice 25 calories, 30 mg vitamin C and 117 mg potassium. UK tables list only 9 calories with 38 mg vitamin C. The gap sits in carbohydrate, 1.6 g against 8.4 g, probably a matter of method or of whether citric acid is counted. Bottled lime juice in the US database has 6.4 mg vitamin C per 3.5 oz (100 g) against 30 mg in fresh, about a fifth, for entries whose brands and storage time are unknown. A wedge squeezed over food gives about 5 g of juice. Lime as a vitamin C partner for iron did not work in the one long trial we found. In 36 iron-deficient women in rural Mexico eating a diet high in phytate, limeade adding 25 mg vitamin C to each of two meals for 8 months left hemoglobin and ferritin no different from a placebo drink, in a trial randomized by community. During a 1996 cholera epidemic in Guinea-Bissau, eating rice sauce with lime juice was linked to 69% lower odds of cholera (odds ratio 0.31, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.56). That comes from one outbreak and a case-control design, so it describes an association in odds. Two cautions come from the evidence. In a small study in healthy volunteers, quarter-strength lime juice did not change the average blood level of the blood pressure drug felodipine but more than doubled it in 2 people. The same study found 4 times the bergamottin of grapefruit juice in lime juice. If you take felodipine, that is worth raising with whoever prescribes it. Teeth are the other one. A case report describes a 49-year-old woman whose habit of drinking lime juice to lose weight eroded her molars, incisors and premolars, and we found no trial showing lime juice helps with weight loss.

Sources

1. limj-r2-01 · food composition dataset
   Lime juice, 100%, freshly squeezed, fdc_id 2709184: Energy 25.0 KCAL, Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid 30.0 MG, Potassium, K 117.0 MG, Protein 0.42 G, Fiber, total dietary 0.4 G per 100 g
   USDA FoodData Central, FNDDS survey foods release 2024-10-31 · checked 2026-09-30
2. limj-r2-02 · food composition dataset
   14-279 Lime juice, fresh: Carbohydrate 1.6 g; Energy 9 kcal; Total sugars 1.6 g; Potassium 110 mg; Vitamin C 38 mg
   CoFID 2021, Public Health England, OGL v3.0, code 14-279 · checked 2026-09-30
3. limj-r2-04 · food composition dataset
   Lime juice, 100%, freshly squeezed, fdc_id 2709184: Juice of 1 lime (2" dia) 44 g; Juice of 1 wedge or slice 5 g; 1 fl oz (no ice) 31 g
   USDA FoodData Central, FNDDS survey foods release 2024-10-31 · checked 2026-09-30
4. limj-r2-05 · randomized controlled trial
   Increasing dietary AA by 25 mg at each of 2 meals/d did not improve iron status in iron-deficient women consuming diets high in phytate and nonheme iron.
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2003 · checked 2026-09-30
5. limj-r2-03 · food composition dataset
   Lime juice, 100%, canned or bottled, fdc_id 2709185: Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid 6.4 MG, Potassium, K 75.0 MG, Energy 21.0 KCAL | Lime juice, 100%, freshly squeezed, fdc_id 2709184: Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid 30.0 MG, Potassium, K 117.0 MG, Energy 25.0 KCAL per 100 g
   USDA FoodData Central, FNDDS survey foods release 2024-10-31 · checked 2026-09-30
6. limj-r2-09 · case-control study
   Lime juice in the sauce eaten with rice gave a strong protective effect (odds ratio [OR] = 0.31, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.17-0.56), and tomato sauce was also protective (OR = 0.36, 95% CI = 0.24-0.54).
   Trop Med Int Health, 2000 · checked 2026-09-30
7. limj-r2-06 · randomized controlled trial
   The recurrence rate at 2 years was significantly lower in the LPR group (14%) compared to placebo (45%) (p < 0.001).
   PLoS One, 2025 · checked 2026-09-30
8. limj-r2-08 · randomized crossover trial
   One quarter-strength lime juice more than doubled felodipine AUC and plasma peak drug concentration in 2 subjects.
   Clin Pharmacol Ther, 2003 · checked 2026-09-30
9. limj-r2-10 · case report
   Dietary history eventually yielded inappropriate use of lime juice in order to slim down her weight.
   East Afr J Public Health, 2009 · checked 2026-09-30
10. limj-r2-07 · randomized trial
    Despite its low potassium content, lime also produced comparable increases in citraturia possibly because of its high citric acid content.
    J Endourol, 2012 · checked 2026-09-30