The health benefits of coconut water are endless.
It helps replenish and revitalize the body, making it one of the best ways to
rehydrate and refresh.
Make sure you are purchasing the right
coconut water. Food Babe investigated a variety of
coconut waters and suggests never
buying these 9 brands: Naked Juice Coconut Water, O.N.E Coconut Water, Zico,
CocoZona, Vita Coco, GOYA, C2O, Purity Organic, and Coco Libre (Organic).
Instead, buy fresh young thai coconuts from your
local Asian store or grocery market, and crack them fresh! These guys won’t be
brown on the outside, but instead white. Otherwise, you could also buy better
coconut water brands, like my favourite by Taste Nirvana, which is an organic
coconut water that contains no concentrates, additives, and contains water from
coconuts that have been sustainably grown and harvested.
So, without further adieu, here are 20 incredible
health benefits of coconut water!
1. Prevents Heart Attacks
Coconut water is full of heart-healthy minerals
like potassium, magnesium, phosphorous and natural sodium. Research has shown
that coconut water helps improve blood circulation, lowers elevated blood
pressure and thus reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Cytokinins in
coconut water (mentioned below), also help lower your risk for
blood clots.
2. Lowers High Blood Pressure
The high amount of vitamin K and potassium in coconut
water helps lower blood pressure, which consequently helps prevent heart
attacks. One study found
that 71% of people who drank coconut water experienced lower blood pressures!
3. Anti-Aging Effects
Coconut water is one of the best anti-aging
super-drinks out there! Loaded with vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients,
antioxidants and cytokinins, coconut water is a must for anyone wanting to look
younger and feel their best. Researchers suggest that consuming a diet rich in
cytokinins (one of the richest sources being coconut water) will help you
experience anti-aging effects, with a lower risk for age-related illnesses.
4. Nervous System Support
If you want to help treat or prevent Alzheimer’s
disease or dementia, then coconut water might just be your new best friend. The
water of young coconuts contain a cytokinin called trans-zeatin, which
has been shown in recent studies to have the potential to treat neural
diseases. One study found
that trans-zeatin has an inhibitory effect on acetylcholinesterase,
which gives it potential to treat Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. Another study also found
that trans-zeatin prevents amyloid β-protein formation, which has
a causal role in the development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
5. Fights Free Radicals
Antioxidants in coconut water help quench free
radicals by donating electrons, and reducing the effects of DNA damage that
normally manifest as cancer or other chronic disease. Kinetin, another
cytokinin in coconut water, also possesses strong anti-cancer effects by
inducing apoptosis (programmed cell death) in cancer cells.
6. Natural Diuretic
Coconut water is a natural diuretic, meaning that
it flushes out excess sodium and can help reduce the symptoms of those
suffering from hypertension. It is also good for getting rid of excess water
weight (via excess sodium flushing), and will naturally help you shed some
pounds and improve the look of your skin.
7. Kidney Support
Acting as a natural diuretic, coconut water helps
flush out excess toxins and has even treated those suffering from kidney
stones. Dr. Eugenio Macalalag, director of the urology department of the
Chinese General Hospital in the Philippines discovered that patients who drank
coconut water 2-3 times a week experienced significant kidney stone
reduction, to the point of no longer requiring surgery for removal.
8. Improves Blood Cholesterol Levels
Dr. Bruce Fife, director of the Coconut Research
Center advocates (and claims) that coconut water helps increase HDL (good)
cholesterol and reduces plaque formation, thus improving blood flow and
protecting the heart.
9. Digestive Health
Drinking just 1 cup of coconut water a day can
significantly help improve digestion. Coconut water contains a host of
different enzymes that help with digestion and improve nutrient absorption. It
also relieves constipation and feeds the friendly bacteria in our gut. Not only
that, but the lauric acid content in coconut water converts to monolaurin,
which prevents against intestinal worms, lipid-coated viruses and other
gastrointestinal tract infections.
10. All-Natural Electrolyte
Coconut water is like natures own sports
rehydration drink. It is a rich source of natural salts and electrolytes like
potassium and magnesium that help replenish our cells and ease muscle strain.
Ditch the gatorade, and choose coconut water instead!
11. Anti-Inflammatory
Inflammation is something that affects almost
every person on the planet – but it’s how you deal with it that’s key.
Consuming plant-based foods that have an alkaline effect on the body like
coconut water, will help reduce acidity levels and thus reduce the amount of
aches and pains you may experience in your body. Coconut water contains vitamin
B6, too, which is important in the prevention of inflammation.
12. Vitamins and Minerals
Who would have thought that a clear liquid could
provide the body with so much nutrition? Coconut water contains the minerals
calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, sodium, zinc, copper,
manganese and selenium. It is also rich in vitamin C, B vitamins, and vitamin K.
13. Hair Growth
Coconut water improves blood circulation, which
means better blood flow to the scalp. This results in strengthened hair
follicles, a moisturized scalp, less dandruff and a lower chance of developing
scalp infections that could hinder hair growth. The vitamins, minerals and
amino acids in coconut water will also improve hair quality like better shine,
texture and cleanliness.
14. Cytokinins
Cytokinins in coconut water are like the plant
version of cytokines for humans, making this one of the most important
nutritional constituents in coconut water. Cytokinins are plant hormones
(phytohormones) that have major anti-cancer, anti-thrombolytic, and anti-aging
effects on human cells and tissues. They are involved in homeostatic
regulation, growth and development, reproduction, healing and repair, immunity
and blood clotting.
15. Balances Blood Sugar Levels
This refreshing drink contains a host of amino
acids, like arginine, which helps moderate sugar absorption. Arginine also
helps improve the sensitivity of insulin and in turn makes the transport of
sugar from the bloodstream into cells an easier task.
16. Eye Support
If you suffer from glaucoma or cataracts, coconut
water can help. Drinking coconut water has been found to significantly reduce fluid pressure
in the eyes, with effects lasting up to 2.5 hours. Coconut water is also
incredibly high in antioxidants, and so can help with the treatment of
cataracts (caused by oxidation) when applied directly to the eye, and then
covered with a warm washcloth for 10 minutes.
17. Immune System Support
Naturally supportive of the immune system,
coconut water is something you should always have at hand. The water contains a
host of vitamins and minerals, which help to boost the immune system, as well
as lauric acid, which contains anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal
properties.
18. Boosts Your Metabolism
Staying properly hydrated is one way to help
boost your metabolism. If you aren’t drinking enough liquids, your body will
enter a dehydrated state, which will then cause your metabolism to slow.
Coconut water has also been found to boost the metabolism of fats
– which is good news if you eat a high fat (and high cholesterol) diet.
19. Highly Alkalizing
The water of young coconuts contain naturally
occurring electrolytes like potassium, calcium and magnesium, which replenish
the body’s alkaline mineral reserve and help maintain proper pH balance in the
body.
20. B Complex Vitamins
Coconut water is a great source of B vitamins,
namely, B3 (nicotinic acid), B5 (pantothenic acid), biotin, B2 (riboflavin),
folic acid and trace amounts of B1 (thiamine) and B6 (pyridoxine). B vitamins
play an important role in energy production and aid a variety of enzymatic
reactions needed for metabolism of fat, protein and carbohydrates. Without
these vitamins, we wouldn’t be able to function properly.
Suggested Readings:
http://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/14/12/5144
“Coconut
Water For Health and Healing” by Dr. Bruce Fife
https://www.litalee.com/documents/Coconut%20Water%20Article.pdf
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1995764511600783
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