r/mildlyinfuriating • u/marcus_dobre_lover • 19h ago

I just wanted a hot dog Mom bought 150 lemons.

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She randomly comes back with a butt load of food items once in a while

Any lemon recipe suggestions

\she’s 44, for people asking her age\.

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u/SpaceGypsy27 19h ago

And the lining of your stomach

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u/Boring_Intern_6394 16h ago

Stomach acid is waaaay stronger than lemon juice. It has a pH as low as 1.5, which is strong enough to cause chemical burns on skin.

I don’t see how lemon juice could cause issues in the one body part specifically adapted for high acidity

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u/DedTV 15h ago

You add acidic substances to your stomach, your stomach releases more acid to digest it, eventually the natural acid regulation system gets overwhelmed, upward pressure increases the risk of reflux, and you risk stomach and esophageal ulcers and gastritus. Acidic foods can also relax the lower esophageal sphincter, increasing the risk of reflux and esophageal damage.

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u/Boring_Intern_6394 15h ago

In unhealthy individuals, maybe. But in healthy individuals, stomach pH is tightly regulated via homeostatic systems, excess acidity is able to be buffered and the sphincter keeps stomach contents in the stomach.

Citric acid is a weak acid so responds well to a buffer system and because it is a weak acid, the stomach lining is well protected against it, as the tissue is evolved to deal with the strong acids used for digestion. The pH of lemon juice remains the same (2-3) whether you have 1mL or 1L and a healthy stomach can easily deal with pH 1.5 acidity.

It may aggravate pre-existing issues, but is unlikely to cause them.

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u/Stephen_Is_handsome Stephen Harris 15h ago

Does the lemons help with his thoat?