Coconut water: Not all it’s cracked up to be?

The Age
December 5, 2014
As a refreshing drink it is okay, but the coconut isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
Still, Victoria’s Secret Angel Doutzen Kroes puts coconut oil in her hair for lustrous locks and Gwyneth Paltrow admitted to oil pulling with coconut oil.
Celebrities from Lara Bingle to Pete Evans have endorsed coconut water and global sales have reached $400 million a year.
The coconut, whether lathered on skin or drunk like water, claims to restore skin while boosting your immune system.
The Raw C coconut water website says the drink has taken off because of its natural hydrating qualities, as well as being a great source of nutrients, including calcium and magnesium.
“Coconut water also contains the same amount of potassium as a banana.”
The ABC says coconut water is moderately rich in potassium and minerals, magnesium, sodium, calcium and phosphorus.
But it also said bananas and potatoes carried about the same amounts of potassium, “and you don’t see potatoes being endorsed by celebrities and sold as the next crackpot superfood”.
Coconut water has also been labelled better than a sports drink.
Tania Ferraretto, a dietitian with Nutrition Professionals Australia, told the Sun Herald: “While it’s a marketing advantage to say it’s natural, in the real world your body doesn’t distinguish between the electrolytes coming from coconut water or from a sports drink.”
The ABC said the amount of sodium in coconut water wasn’t enough for professional athletes.
“And if you drink large amounts of coconut water to get enough sodium, you’ll soon realise that coconut water does have a laxative effect,” it said.
“But as a refreshing occasional drink, coconut water is fine.”
Similarly, coconut is believed to control sugar craving and help burn fat.
But Dietitians Association of Australia spokeswoman Julie Gilbert told Fairfax: “It might contribute to weight loss or assist in diabetes management, but no more, say, than a carefully balanced diet.”
The other problem with coconut oil was the amount saturated fats it contained, the ABC said.
“It’s about 91 per cent saturated fats and only 6 per cent mono-unsaturated fats.”
The up-side is saturated fats are resistant to oxidisation, meaning they have a longer shelf life, but in terms of health they are associated strongly with bad blood cholesterol levels and heart disease.”
Senior nutritionist and spokeswoman for Nutrition Australia Aloysa Hourigan said it was correct that coconut water was useful for hydration but it was no more useful than a rehydrating sports drink or water.
“Often if you had a glass of water and piece of fruit you’d be doing equally well,” she said.
On the fat side of the argument, Dr Joanna McMillan said the main thing to clear up was coconut oil being considered a medium-chain triglyceride.
While there was evidence to support the claim medium-chained triglycerides burned more readily, the main fat in coconut oil was lauric acid, which was a 12-chain fat, she said.
“So the debate has been lauric acid is considered a long-chain fat but for some reason people touting coconut oil are including it with the medium-chain triglycerides, she said.
“The evidence clearly shows that lauric acid actually behaves like other long-chain saturated fats, so there’s no evidence to say that it burns any more readily than any other type of fat, which means that these claims that coconut oil is fat burning is simply not true.”
As for coconut water, Dr McMillan said it was a wonderful natural drink.
“But don’t think it’s going to do anything particularly miraculous and is certainly not good enough to be used as a sports drink.”