7 Health Benefits of Coconut Water

I’ve always stressed the importance of making pure, filtered water your primary beverage of choice. However, drinking coconut water is something I also recommend.

Not only is it one of the best rehydration drinks available on the planet, thanks to its electrolytes and natural salts like potassiumand magnesium, but coconut water offers numerous nutrients that are beneficial for your body. Among these useful components are its cytokinins, a class of phytohormones that boast of anti-aging, anti-thrombotic and anti-carcinogenic effects.

This liquid offers inorganic ions, B vitamins and minerals like iodine, selenium, zinc and sulfur that all provide support for your antioxidant and overall system. Here are some of the benefits of drinking coconut water daily:

Provides cardioprotective effects — A 2003 animal study published in the journal Plant Foods for Human Nutrition found that tender coconut water (TCW) may have cardiopotective effects as it helped decrease concentration of total cholesterol, VLDL + LDL− cholesterol and HDL cholesterol among rats that had induced myocardial infarction.

The researchers noted that these benefits may come from the nutrients in the liquid, namely calcium, potassium, L-arginine and magnesium.
May help boost kidney health — Coconut water may reduce the risk of kidney stones. In a 2013 study, coconut water helped inhibit crystal deposits in renal tissues of rat subjects. It reduced the amount of crystals in their urine as well. What’s more, the researchers noted that this liquid “protected against impaired renal function and development of oxidative stress in the kidneys.” They noted that it can be used for phytotherapy against urolithiasis.
May help in the management of diabetes — Coconut water was found to have hypoglycemic and nephroprotective activities. Results of a 2015 study noted that rats given coconut water had better blood glucose maintenance compared to rats in the control group. According to the researchers:

“Our results indicate that CW has multiple beneficial effects in diabetic rats for preventing hyperglycemia and oxidative stress caused by alloxan.”

A separate study also noted that the L-arginine in coconut water is responsible for its antidiabetic and antithrombotic effects, and is mediated through the L-arginine-nitric oxide pathway. Diabetic rats that were treated with mature coconut water L-arginine had reduced concentration of blood glucose and hemoglobin A1c.
Offers rehydrating effects after exercise — A 2007 study compared the rehydrating effects of water, coconut water and a sports drink. The authors noted that drinking coconut water is “as good as ingesting a commercial sports drink for whole body rehydration after exercise-induced dehydration but with better fluid tolerance.”
May protect against oxidative stress — Coconut water is loaded with antioxidants that are known to help fight free radicals that may lead to oxidative damage. One study found that shikimic acid (SA), an active phytoconstituent in coconut water, can help protect the liver cells of mice subjects, protecting them from hydroperoxide-mediated oxidative stress.
May help maintain healthy blood pressure levels — A study involving 28 hypertensive subjects looked at the potential effects of coconut water on blood pressure levels. Those who were given coconut water had significant decreases in their mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

The high levels of potassium in coconut water may be a contributing factor to this benefit as well. A 1998 study in the Hypertension journal notes that this mineral has a “modest blood pressure-lowering effect.”
May help maintain bone and teeth health, as well as muscle strength — MedicalNewsToday notes that coconut water contains calcium, which is needed by your bones and teeth for repair, as well as magnesium, which not only brings potassium and calcium into the muscles for contraction and relaxation, but also helps with energy production and better organ function.

Coconut water can be used intravenously. When extracted fresh from the fruit, the liquid is sterile, and free of parasites, bacteria and germs. During the Vietnam War and World War II, it was infused into the bloodstream of patients whenever doctors had an insufficient supply of IV fluids. It’s said to be similar in composition to human blood plasma.