Coconut Water For Diabetes: Is It Safe And Effective?

Coconut water is one of the healthiest nutrient-rich drinks that nature offers us. Be it dehydration, balancing your salts levels, or an upset stomach, coconut water helps alleviate many health concerns.

However, is drinking coconut water safe for diabetics? Though it has a refreshingly mild sweet taste, does it raise your blood sugar levels? How much of it is okay?

To answer all these questions and more, we present the required research to see if this nutrient-dense, low-calorie natural drink, is suitable for people with diabetes. Read on to know further.

Know Your Ingredient: Coconut Water

What Is It?
The colorless and often sweet liquid found inside tender, immature coconuts.

What Are Its Benefits?
Provides essential nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, and helps control blood glucose levels and manage weight.

Who Can Consume It?
Considered safe for consumption in general.

How Often?
Not more than 16 ounces every day.

Caution
Excess consumption can cause fluctuations in blood sugar levels, diarrhea, low blood pressure, and electrolyte imbalance. Consult a doctor in case of any severe discomfort.

Coconut Water—A Brief

So, what’s so unique about this drink?

Coconut water is fresh, sterile, and devoid of artificial sweeteners and preservatives. It is, therefore, safe for all to consume coconut water without worrying about any health risk.

Madelyn, a blogger, reveals she drinks coconut water to clean her guts: “I use coconut water to cleanse my digestive system to get ready for our yoga retreats. For [its] laxative properties to take effect, you need to drink ½ gallon of fresh coconut water (not the kind they sell canned or in aseptic boxes) in one sitting (i).” She adds, “I usually top it off with a kiwi juice to complete the cleansing effect.”

This drink is also an excellent electrolyte replenishment. It is rich in two essential salts—potassium and sodium, along with calcium, phosphorous, zinc, manganese, iron, copper, and fundamental amino acids. Coconut water also contains natural sugars like fructose (15%), glucose (50%) and sucrose (35%). Now let’s find out here can diabetic patient drink coconut water.

Coconut Water For Diabetes – Is It Safe?

Good news for people with diabetes around the world!

Call it a work of the plentiful natural sugars or its sterile nature—coconut water has joyfully passed the safety test for diabetes—as stated in the February 2015 edition of the Journal of Medicinal Food (1).

However, one should not exceed the limit of drinking coconut water every day, no matter how much you like it. This is because despite being a healthy drink coconut water does contain fructose, and although low in content (around 15%), fructose can interfere with your blood sugar levels.

So, when should you stop?

An ideal recommendation is 8 ounces (250 ml) twice a day. Anything more than that can harm your health adversely, highlighting the potential disadvantages of coconut water. Another important tip is to have coconut water in its natural form without adding any external ingredients.

Note: It is important to note that one needs to consume the water of green coconut, and not the thick milky substance, which is known as the pulp. The whitish pulp of the coconut is high in sugar and fat. Therefore, it is not suitable for diabetes patients.

Quick Tip

Coconut water tastes great when mixed with lemonade or chia seeds to form a diabetes-friendly energetic beverage.

The best time to drink coconut water is as important to know as how much of it you can drink. Learn more about it in the next section.

Best Time To Drink Coconut Water

While coconut water can be a refreshing and hydrating drink, individuals with diabetes should monitor their response to it. One of the best times to drink coconut water is as part of a balanced meal or as a beverage between meals. This can help mitigate any potential spikes in blood sugar as the fiber and proteins in your meal can slow down the absorption of natural sugars in coconut water (2). It is advisable to avoid having it on an empty stomach or just before bedtime as it may lead to significant fluctuations in blood glucose levels (3).

Learn why it is so beneficial for blood sugar management in the following section.

Why Is Coconut Water Good For Diabetics

Wondering why consumption of coconut water for diabetes is recommended?

Here are some of the most popular benefits of coconut water for diabetics:

1. Nutrient Density

This is a given.

As established earlier, coconut water is particularly high in several essential vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. Each cup of this tasty drink contains 5.8 mg vitamin C, 0.1 mg riboflavin, 57.6 mg calcium, 60 mg magnesium, 600mg potassium, 252 mg sodium, and 0.3 mg manganese. These nutrients, especially sodium and potassium, help in keeping the blood sugar fluctuations in check (4).

2. Contains More Fiber And Less Carbs

As a diabetic, having control over carbohydrate intake is as important as keeping track of its sugar content. In fact, a recommended diet for diabetics (as prescribed by physicians) should be high in fiber and low in carbohydrates.

These carbs, being exceptionally high on natural sugars can quickly contribute to a spike in blood glucose level, which could prove harmful for people with diabetes.
Coconut water, being high on fiber (2.6 grams per 240 grams coconut water), is a good solution to keep blood sugar levels in check (5).

3. Improves Blood Circulation

Those with Diabetes often suffer from poor blood circulation. Due to this problem, they often experience discomforts like numbness in the feet, blurred vision, and kidney failure. Intake of coconut water improves to reduce such condition quite efficiently.

Coconut water improves blood circulation by widening the blood vessels (6). Thus, it provides great relief against fighting the symptoms and side effects of diabetes. Besides, it is capable of healing a diabetic disorder called atherosclerosis.

4. Helps Maintain Weight

Abnormal weight gain is a general tendency amongst diabetic patients. Coconut water has the ability to prevent unnecessary hunger and therefore helps you eat less.

Additionally, it is a rich source of nutrients like essential salts, minerals and contains no cholesterol at all (7), (8). Coconut water is loaded with all the right nutrients. It is an excellent source of Omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants. Both of these are essential in diabetes to check sugar levels and body weight.

So this incredible drink can qualify as an ideal midday snack that offers only energy and not calories. Moreover, a diabetic patient can easily choose this natural cooler, as other colas are a strict ‘no’ for them because of their high sugar content.

5. Improves Metabolism

Coconut water helps induce metabolism which, in turn, improves fat burning and sugar burning process within the body. This activity of coconut water within our bodies helps to provide patients with more energy and vigor for life (9).

6. Has A Low Glycemic Index

Coconut water is an excellent choice for diabetics because of its exceptionally low glycemic index.

It has a glycemic load of 3, and thus having coconut water does not lead to an immediate spike in the blood glucose level (10). Rather, coconut water helps regulate blood sugar levels by maintaining hydration, which plays a vital role in supporting optimal blood sugar management. Moreover, magnesium content in this drink helps improve insulin sensitivity in an individual (11).

As we learned, coconut water is good for diabetes as it contains certain nutritional properties that help in maintaining the blood sugar levels. It is high in fiber and belongs to the alkaline pH food group that helps to cope with acid-producing factors within the body. Consuming coconut water is safe for obese diabetic patients as well, as it does not add more calories to one’s health. Moreover, this drink is completely safe, so what are you waiting for? Include this tasty natural drink in your daily routine and see the results for yourself.

Quick Tip

Apart from enjoying the cool drink, you can also include coconut water in smoothies and mix it with oats, curry, and so on.

Infographic: Reasons Coconut Water Is Good For Diabetes

To recap, coconut water is not just a refreshing drink, but it can help manage blood sugar levels too! This tropical drink can be a game-changer for those with diabetes. To know why, check out the infographic below where we have highlighted how this replenishing drink can help manage diabetes. Scroll down to check it out now!

Illustration: StyleCraze Design Team

Frequently Asked Questions

How much sugar does fresh coconut water contain?

Coconut water has about 4.23 g of sugar. This includes fructose, sucrose, and glucose (12).

Is coconut water good for pregnant females with diabetes?

Coconut water is safe for people with diabetes, and it can also be consumed during pregnancy. However, talk to your doctor before enjoying coco

Who should not drink coconut water?

Since coconut water contains high levels of potassium, anyone with high potassium in the blood should avoid drinking it. Those with kidney issues should avoid it as well. Don’t consume it if you take antihypertensive or antidiabetic drugs. Avoid it before and after a surgery for at least 2 weeks.

Can drinking coconut water replace other fluids for diabetics?

Drinking coconut water alone cannot replace other fluids for diabetes. Since you should not have more than the recommended amount of coconut water a day, you will have to include other juices and water in your diet as well. Also, it is recommended by doctors to avoid drinking coconut water if you have diabetes as it can interact with the medication.

Are there any potential risks of drinking coconut water for diabetics?

If you take antidiabetic drugs that lower your blood sugar level, coconut can further drop it. So it is recommended for those with diabetes to avoid coconut water.

Illustration: Coconut Water For Diabetes - Is It Safe And Effective?

Image: Stable Diffusion/StyleCraze Design Team

Are you a diabetic wondering if coconut water is a suitable option for you? This video shows the benefits and considerations of consuming coconut water when you have diabetes. Don’t miss it!

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Reviewer Author Editor Fact Checker

Cheryl MussattoMS, RD, LD

Cheryl Mussatto is a clinical dietitian for Cotton O’Neil Clinics in Topeka and Osage City with over 25 years of experience. She is also an adjunct professor for Allen Community College, Burlingame, Ks where she teaches Basic Nutrition and a blog contributor for Dr.

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Tanya ChoudharyHealth & Wellness Writer

 

Tanya is an ISSA certified Specialist in Fitness & Nutrition. She specializes in writing articles on ingredients that benefit skin, hair, and health. She believes in the right health and lifestyle practices and strives to promote the same to everyone around her.

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Ravi Teja Tadimalla is a Co-Editor-in-Chief and a published author. He has been in the digital media field for over a decade. He graduated from SRM University, Chennai, and has a Professional Certificate in Food, Nutrition & Research from Wageningen University.

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