Generality
Coconut water is the juice present in the internal cavity (endosperm) of healthy, undamaged green coconuts.
Coconuts reach the maximum water content (up to one liter) around 7 months of life.
Coconut palms thrive in tropical environments and in coastal areas.
A coconut tree can produce several hundred nuts each season. Naturally, the taste of the pulp and water that these contain show considerable variations based on the cultivar, the salt content of the soil, the distance from the sea shore, the climate, etc.
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Nutritional values (per 100 g of edible portion)
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Coconut water is one of the most refreshing drinks known in nature (therefore not man-made).
It is widely consumed throughout the tropical zone, thanks to its thirst-quenching properties, given by its considerable potassium content.
Outline of Chemical Composition
100ml of coconut water provide 15-20kcal / 100g and the dry residue barely reaches 10% of the RDA (average value).
In particular - in spite of what has been declared by the companies that sell coconut water in a jar - the contribution of minerals (sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium) and vitamins (group B and C), in a portion of 100ml, is not particularly significant.
Coconut water is clear and sweet, sterile and composed of some chemical substances, such as: sugars, vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, enzymes, amino acids, cytokines and phyto-hormones, all present in rather small concentrations.
For more information on the nutritional characteristics of coconut water, read the article: Coconut Water and Nutrition.
Compared to the green ones, rich in liquid, ripe coconuts contain much less water and a thicker endosperm; the latter is the edible portion of the fruit, rich in lipids.
Hypothetical Health Benefits
Coconut water is a very refreshing and refreshing drink.
The liquid contains simple sugars and minerals, useful to compensate for a possible condition of dehydration of the human body.
Let us now analyze in more detail the various health properties (hypothetical or overt) of coconut water; in particular, let us dwell on its rehydration capacity.
- In many tropical regions, coconut water is given to patients suffering from dysentery, as a substitute for rehydration solutions. In fact, the osmolarity of coconut water is only slightly higher than that recommended by the "WHO Recommended ORS", for oral rehydration therapy (Oral Rehydration Therapy); this characteristic is conferred (probably) by the not excessive presence of various biological constituents, such as: amino acids, enzymes, minerals and fatty acids. Unlike WHO-ORS, coconut water has a modest content of sodium and chlorides, but is richer in sugars and amino acids.
- Coconut water contains a good amount of potassium, about 250mg / 100ml (compared to 105mg / ml of sodium). This mineral, which is among the most widely dispersed electrolytes in the case of dysentery - but also in sweat in the case of intense sports or thermoregulation - can be replenished by taking regular (but not exclusively) coconut water instead of common water. In this sense, also the modest concentration of the other minerals (calcium, iron, manganese, magnesium, zinc) and of certain vitamins of the B group (riboflavin, niacin, thiamine, pyridoxine and folate), contributes to making coconut water a product hypothetically useful for the rehydration and reconstitution of weak subjects.
- Fresh coconut water (not the one in the jar) also contains a small amount of vitamin C (ascorbic acid), or about 2.4mg / 100ml (4% of the RDA). As is well known, vitamin C is a water-soluble antioxidant, which however can be found in higher amounts in many other foods.
- Some argue that cytokines (quinetine, trans-zeatin, etc.), present in coconut water, can exert an anti-aging, anti-carcinogenic and anti-thrombotic effect. However, if the functions of certain cytokines are fairly well known, the effect of coconut water has not been amply demonstrated.
- Coconut water is composed of many bioactive and natural enzymes, such as acid phosphatase, catalase, dehydrogenase, diastase, peroxidase, RNA polymerase, etc. These could be a valuable aid in digestion.
Medicinal Uses
Coconut water has been, although rarely, used as a fluid intended for intravenous rehydration when hydrosaline medical mixtures were not available.
The composition of coconut water is vaguely similar to that of human blood plasma. During the Second World War, when medical supplies were extremely limited, many wounded of Japanese and English origin were injected with coconut water; the number of survivors is not known.
Obviously, this rehydration technique was used only for short-term emergency situations in remote locations where plasma is almost never available.
Although to date, from the medical point of view, it is absolutely inadvisable to replace salt solutions with coconut water, during the "Khmer Rouge" regime, in Cambodia (1975-1979), it was a common practice. On the other hand, the "Documentation Center of Cambodia" defines the consent to nurses trained in the administration of green coconut water "a crime against humanity".
In folk medicine, coconut water was used as a treatment for diarrhea.
Too Much Coconut Water Does It Hurt?
Some anecdotal sources describe the archaic use of coconut water aimed at the senicide of the elderly in India, or a procedure known as "thalaikoothal". This custom involved administering an excessive amount of coconut water to the victims who, after the fever had risen, died.
The causes of this reaction are not well determined. A fairly reliable hypothesis is that of excess potassium in the blood (hyperkalaemia) which, inducing acute renal failure, causes cardiac arrhythmia, loss of consciousness and ultimately death. In a young subject it is rare that a similar occurrence can occur, since the kidneys are generally able to filter high concentrations of potassium. For the already compromised kidneys, however, it is possible that the reaction is different.
The only case of hyperkalemia and loss of consciousness known and occurred following the consumption of several liters of coconut water, has highlighted the association of this last food with a food supplement for sport.
Coconut water is a universally recognized drink as "safe". With normal portions (250-350ml) no adverse reactions of any kind are known, therefore there is no negative notification. Being sterile (if extracted from a healthy coconut), it is considered safe even during pregnancy, lactation, for children (after weaning) and in pathological conditions subject to medical consent.
