Coconut water
Cocos nucifera
Fruits. Caribbean and Modern nutrition.
Also called Young coconut water, Agua de coco
Pinyin: Yē Zi Shuǐ
Spanish: Agua de coco
High potassium with kidney diseaseCoconut water is the clear liquid inside young green coconuts, drunk fresh or bottled as a light drink with potassium and some electrolytes.
Did you know? A cup of coconut water can have more potassium than a medium banana.
What it may help, and how strong the proof is
- Energy & tiredness. A few small trials found coconut water rehydrates about as well as sports drinks after exercise. It is not clearly better than plain water for most people.Early proof
- Blood pressure. Potassium helps lower blood pressure in the diet. Coconut water trials are few and small, so its own effect is unproven.Traditional proof
Parts of the body
Traditional use
In tropical Asia, the Pacific and the Caribbean, people have drunk young coconut water for centuries as a refreshing drink and as a folk rehydration remedy.
How it is classified
How people take it
Drink it fresh from a young coconut or from cartons. It is often used after exercise or in hot weather. No standard dose is set.
Juice and food.
Where to get it
Comes from young green coconuts of the coconut palm, grown along tropical coasts in Southeast Asia, the Pacific, India, Brazil, the Caribbean and West Africa. Sold fresh, in cartons and cans, and as powder. Key nutrients: potassium and small amounts of magnesium.
Be careful
Most people tolerate it well. Sweetened or flavored bottled drinks can be high in sugar. People with kidney disease, or on medicines that raise potassium, should ask a doctor before drinking a lot.
Avoid if: kidney disease.
Mixing with other things
- Works well together
Both are tropical fruit drinks often blended together.
- Use cautionBlood pressure medicine (lisinopril, amlodipine, losartan)
ACE inhibitors and ARB blood pressure medicines can raise potassium. Large amounts of coconut water can add to that.
- Use cautionWater pills (furosemide, hydrochlorothiazide)
Potassium-sparing diuretics can raise potassium. Coconut water adds potassium, so check with a doctor.
Adds up with others that may lower blood pressure: , , , , , , , , , , , , , and 12 more.
The honest take
Coconut water is a light, low-calorie drink with potassium, and it can rehydrate after exercise about as well as sports drinks. It is not a cure-all, and plain water works for most people. Bottled brands can be high in sugar.