Really? The Claim: For Better Hydration, Drink Coconut Water

Toyosi O. -- As the days get hotter, many people have been reaching for coconut water. This liquid substance, once very uncommon, has gained popularity because it has many natural electrolytes. Coconut water contains an important electrolyte, sodium that is lost after sweating. Not all coconut water is made equal though. Scientist have compared different coconut water brands and noticed that most had less sodium then they claimed to have, and less sodium that a regular sports drink. Scientists did another study comparing the hydration levels from water, regular coconut water or sodium enriched coconut water and a sports drink. Researchers had subjects run for 90 minutes and them gave them one of the drinks mentioned before within a 2-hour time span. Even though all of the subjects claimed to be “Somewhat dehydrated”, researchers noted that the sodium enriched coconut water worked equally as well as the sports drink. In conclusion, scientists were able to determine that if a drink has enough sodium than it can hydrate as well as a sport drink.

I found this article very interesting for many reasons. One reason is because salt actually dries out things yet hydrates the body better than plain water? I guess it does make some sense because salt absorbs water, and if it’s in your body it will absorb all the fluids. I’ve heard that coconut water is super hydrating and good but really its equal or even less as good as a sport drink such as Gatorade. I think that the main reason coconut water has become popular is because it sounds much healthier that PowerAde or Gatorade. You always hear people say that Gatorade has too much salt and that it’s bad, but in reality that’s what makes it good for you!

Link:  For Better Hydration, Drink Coconut Water