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by Cassie White There are some pretty big claims made about coconut water, but do they stack up? Published 23/07/2013
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Coconut water: miracle drink or health fad?
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Coconut water has been a favourite drink in some parts of the world for thousands of years, but recent celebrity endorsements and marketing campaigns have seen it elevated to the status of "superfood". Not to be confused with coconut milk, which comes from the grated flesh of a coconut and is high in fat, coconut water is the clear liquid contained inside young coconuts. As tends to be the case with 'superfoods', coconut water is promoted as something of a miracle drink. Not only is it considered "Mother Nature's sports drink", but its claimed health benefits also include helping you lose weight, slowing down the ageing process, lowering your blood pressure and cholesterol, and even curing your hangover.
Overblown claims But accredited practising dietitian Julie Gilbert urges us to be wary of overblown health claims and says if it was "such a miracle cure, then it would be used in hospitals".
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"[Coconut water] may hydrate you, but that's not to say another product won't do it 10 or 15 times better. It's a long bow they're trying to draw and big sweeping claims that they're making."
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When you sweat you lose water as well as essential minerals including sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium. Coconut water does contain some of these, most notably potassium, and research has found sodium-enriched coconut water can work as well as sports drinks for hydration after prolonged intense exercise.
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But coconut water only has minuscule amounts of many of these minerals. For instance, while it contains potassium (a mineral that can help lower blood pressure, reduce your risk of heart disease and protect your kidneys) you will only get about 200 milligrams of potassium in 100 millilitres. So you'd need to drink an awful lot of coconut water to meet the recommended daily potassium intake of 3800mg. Also coconut water is naturally low in sodium – another essential mineral you lose when you sweat – says accredited practising dietitian Sharon Natoli. "Potassium and sodium are the key nutrients that contribute to fluid balance; if you add potassium to a drink after you've exercised, it can help you retain that fluid, but the benefits aren't as great as with sodium," she says. More importantly, Natoli also points out, most of us don't sweat enough through regular exercise to need to rehydrate with anything other than water. Sports drinks are mainly for elite athletes or those who exercise hard for more than an hour every day. Even if you sweat a lot, or have been exercising for over an hour outside in the heat Natoli recommends a big glass of water and a small snack, such as a piece of toast with vegemite: "You'll retain the water and the bread will help replenish your carbohydrates". And if you're worried you're not getting enough potassium, Natoli says a better bet is to make sure you eat a balanced diet. "If you're eating five veg and two serves of fruit a day, plus a couple of serves of wholegrain, then you're going to get enough potassium for general good health," she says. "There's about 900mg of potassium in a potato and roughly 800mg in a bottle of coconut water; but potatoes are quite high in fibre, too, plus you get your recommended daily intake of vitamin C, but with virtually no sugar or fat."
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It's also worth noting many of the commercial brands of coconut water can be high in sugar – and therefore kilojoules, especially if they contain added fruit. As a rule of thumb, Natoli recommends reading the label carefully and choosing drinks with less than 5g of sugar per 100ml. As for making sense of extensive health claims for superfoods, such as coconut water, Gilbert recommends wearing your sceptic's hat and checking to see if there is any evidence to back the claims. Also when research is conducted it's necessary to consider the type of study; many studies are done on animals (which makes the findings unreliable as they may not be replicated in humans) and humans studies tend to be very small. "People are looking for a magic cure, but it's a combination of foods that give us nutrients, not just one... It's about choosing good-quality food, the right portion sizes and getting nutrients from a wide source of foods." But that doesn't mean you have to avoid pre-packaged coconut water altogether – just don't drink too much. Or better still, crack open a green coconut yourself and drink that, instead.
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Coconut: Good fat or bad? ABC Health & Wellbeing Does coconut water live up to its health claims - CHOICE
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