Lime
Tart citrate-rich citrus for stones and vessels
Nutrition per serving 1 medium (67 g)
- Water 59.1 g89%
- Sugars 1.1 g2%
- Fibre 1.9 g3%
- Other carbs 4 g6%
- Protein 0.5 g1%
- Fat 0.1 g0%
| Nutrient | Per serving | % daily value |
|---|---|---|
| Vitamin C | 20 mg | 22% |
| Fiber | 1.9 g | 7% |
| Potassium | 68 mg | 1% |
| Calcium | 22 mg | 2% |
| Folate | 5 mcg | 1% |
| Iron | 0.4 mg | 2% |
| Magnesium | 4 mg | 1% |
| Sugars | 1.1 g | 2% |
Composition data: USDA FoodData Central ↗
What is Lime?
Lime (Citrus aurantiifolia) is a fruit used for raises urinary citrate (an inhibitor of calcium stone formation) in hypocitraturic stone formers. NutriDex grades the human evidence as Preliminary. Lime is a small, intensely acidic citrus whose health interest rests more on its organic-acid and vitamin-C content than on large clinical trials of the fruit itself. The best-supported use is in nephrolithiasis: a parallel-group RCT showed freshly squeezed lime juice raised urinary citrate—an inhibitor of calcium stone formation—comparably to orange juice, though, unlike orange and melon, lime did NOT significantly raise urinary pH, potassium, or net alkali absorption (its citrate rise is attributed to high citric acid rather than alkali), and no trial proves lime alone cuts stone recurrence. Its vitamin C is a well-established enhancer of non-heme iron absorption, a robust mechanistic finding extrapolated to lime as a dietary vitamin-C source rather than tested as lime per se. Citrus flavonoids improve endothelial function in a meta-analysis of RCTs, and high citrus/fruit intake is linked to lower stroke and cardiovascular risk in large cohorts, but these data are for citrus broadly, not lime specifically. A notable real-world finding is that adding lime juice to food was protective against cholera in a West African outbreak. Overall the human evidence specific to lime is preliminary and largely indirect, with most benefits inferred from its nutrients and from citrus as a class.