Coconut Water: Is It Good for You, Nutrition, Benefits, Side Effects (Science Based)

Coconut water is the delicious and nutritious liquid found in young coconuts. It is good for you because it contains minerals, fiber, and other healthy nutrients. Drinking coconut water is beneficial for replacing lost fluids and electrolytes, lowering your blood pressure, and helping you lose weight quicker.

The best and healthiest type of coconut water comes from immature coconuts, which contains the greatest number of nutrients. People in tropical regions have enjoyed consuming coconut water for centuries to boost their health. Many recent scientific studies also point to the amazing health benefits of drinking it.

In this article, you will learn about the many reasons why drinking a glass of coconut water every day is good for your health, as well as if there are any side effects of consuming too much.

What Is Coconut Water?

Plain coconut water is a popular drink in many cultures in tropical countries, generally consumed from green coconuts. It is made inside coconuts as sugars, minerals, and vitamins develop in the refreshing "juice." Scientists say that coconut water is healthy because of its unique blend of minerals, amino acids, vitamins, and sugars. Young coconut water has a similar consistency to water and contains a rich mineral content.

Coconut water vs. coconut milk

There is a great difference between coconut milk and coconut water. Coconut milk is made by crushing or shredding coconut meat and adding water to it. Coconut milk contains much higher levels of fat than coconut water. For example, one cup of coconut water only contains 0.5 grams of fat, whereas one cup of coconut milk contains 57 grams of fat.

Coconut Water Nutrition Facts

Drinking coconut water is a healthy way to replenish lost fluids and boost your health at the same time. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, one cup of coconut water contains 46 calories, 9 grams of carbs, and 2.6 grams of dietary fiber. A serving of coconut water from one coconut contains 5.4 grams of sugar.

It is also rich in minerals that help to keep your heart and bones healthy. A cup of coconut water contains 60 mg of magnesium (15% of your recommended daily intake), 600 mg of potassium (17% RDI), and 0.3 mg manganese (17% RDI). It also contains calcium, iron, phosphorus, copper, and zinc.

The electrolytes in coconut water, like magnesium, potassium, and sodium, can help to rehydrate you after physical exercise or fluid loss due to diarrhea. Researchers have suggested that its low sodium and high potassium content could be useful in treating high blood pressure.

One of the reasons why drinking coconut water can be good for your health is that it contains antioxidants, which have been found to kill off free radicals and help reduce damage caused by oxidative stress. Some of its health benefits also come from phytohormones called cytokinins, which have been linked to treating cancer tumors and slowing down the aging process.

Coconut Water Has High Potassium Levels

The main mineral in coconut water is potassium, and regularly consuming it can help prevent a potassium deficiency. The National Institutes of Health advises that a potassium deficiency can cause high blood pressure, put you at risk of kidney stones, and affect bone health. The amount of potassium in one coconut is 515 mg, which is 15% of your recommended daily potassium requirements.

While consuming raw coconut water is a delicious, healthy drink, drinking too much may not be good if you have kidney problems. Doctors from WebMD say that chronic kidney disease can affect potassium levels in your body, causing dangerously high levels. People with kidney disease should limit their intake of foods that are high in potassium.

Why Coconut Water Is Good for You: 12 Proven Health Benefits

Medical studies have shown that drinking coconut water every day is good for your health. It is a low-calorie electrolyte drink full of healthy nutrients that are good for your heart, brain, weight management, liver, and kidneys.

1. Promotes a Strong Immune System: Scientists have discovered that nutrients and microminerals in coconut water are essential for good health. Research has shown that tender coconut water has many medicinal properties that act as immuno-stimulants. It also contains antioxidants such as ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and caffeic acid.

2. Good for Rehydration: Drinking coconut water is healthy after exercising because it helps to replenish minerals lost during physical exertion. Researchers have found that fresh coconut water can be used as an isotonic drink for whole-body rehydration. Some studies recommend adding a pinch of salt to improve sodium and chloride levels.

3. Good for Your Heart Health: Consuming natural coconut water daily can help improve your cardio health and help your heart recover after a heart attack. Scientific studies have found that tender coconut water has cardio-protective properties and promotes good cardio health.

4. Helps Lower Blood Pressure: Pure coconut water is good for helping to treat hypertension because of minerals like potassium. The American Heart Association says that potassium helps to lessen the effect of sodium in the body, and doctors recommend that people with hypertension increase their intake of potassium-rich foods. Studies have shown that people who regularly consumed coconut water experienced a greater decrease in blood pressure than those who drank bottled water.

5. Helps Lower Cholesterol: Coconut water is good for you if you have high cholesterol because compounds in it help to lower cholesterol levels. One trial found that feeding tender coconut water to animal subjects helped to lower total cholesterol.

6. May Lower Blood Glucose: Mature coconut water is good to drink if you have diabetes because it is low in calories and helps to reduce blood glucose levels. Research found that mature coconut water increased antioxidant levels in the blood, which helped to lower blood glucose.

7. May Help You Lose Weight Faster: Drinking coconut water daily in the morning may boost your efforts in losing excess body weight. Studies have shown that coconut water has an anti-obesity effect and can help prevent complications associated with being overweight. It is low in calories and has a refreshing sweet taste that can help you consume fewer calories when you are on a diet.

8. Boosts Brain Function: Regularly consuming coconut water benefits your memory and can prevent the onset of dementia. The high magnesium and potassium content helps to improve brain health and reduce the risk of stroke. High magnesium intake is associated with a reduced risk of mild cognitive impairment.

9. May Help Protect Against Gastric Ulcers: It is safe to drink coconut water on an empty stomach because minerals in it help protect your stomach lining. One study on animals found that coconut water can help to treat gastric ulcers on the stomach lining by increasing mucosal protection.

10. Reduces Signs of Aging: Regularly consuming a glass of young coconut water every day has an anti-aging effect and may help to reduce some of the effects of getting older. It contains important phytohormones called cytokinins, which help protect against DNA cell damage.

11. Good for Your Liver Health: The high antioxidant content of coconut water means that it can help to protect your liver’s health. Research published in 2017 found that consuming coconut water can help treat liver diseases, as it helped to prevent liver damage caused by alcohol.

12. Helps Protect the Kidneys and May Prevent Kidney Stones: Natural coconut water acts as a natural diuretic and can help protect healthy kidneys. Researchers found that regularly consuming coconut water may help to prevent crystal deposits from forming in the kidneys. Increasing your coconut water intake also acts as a diuretic and can help to flush toxins and other microorganisms from your urinary tract.

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Side Effects of Coconut Water

Consuming the tasty water found in immature green coconuts is generally safe for most people without causing any adverse effects. Doctors from WebMD say that drinking large quantities of coconut water can affect your health due to the levels of potassium it contains. However, adverse effects caused by too much potassium are usually only experienced by people who have kidney dysfunction.

Drinking Coconut Water Every Day: What is a Safe Dose?

There is no official recommended dose for drinking coconut water for its health benefits. However, as always, moderation applies. One cup a day is generally enough.

The Best Coconut Water to Buy

The best type of coconut water to drink is straight from a fresh, green coconut. If fresh coconuts are not available, the best type of commercially available coconut water is cold-pressed and pure, without added ingredients. You should avoid highly processed and flavored coconut water, as the pasteurization process can kill off many of the beneficial enzymes and nutrients, and added flavors are often used to disguise the acidic taste of mature coconut water.