Does coconut water help with high blood pressure?

What is coconut water?

Coconut water is the watery, slightly cloudy liquid you can get from young green coconuts. The brown coconuts usually available here are already mature and contain almost no coconut water anymore most of it has been absorbed into the flesh. The nutritional value of coconut water is highest in the unripe fruit.

Don't confuse coconut water with coconut milk. Coconut milk is made from the grated flesh of ripe nuts; it is white, creamy and contains significantly more fat than the low-calorie, low-fat coconut water.

Coconut water is said to be rich in minerals, vitamins, antioxidants and trace elements. In tropical countries it is therefore also used to treat fluid loss for example with diarrhea or overheating. However, despite common advertising claims, it cannot be called isotonic because its sodium content is too low.

How does coconut water affect blood pressure?

In a small 2005 study, Indian researchers monitored the blood pressure of 28 participants with high blood pressure. They were divided into four groups. The first group received plain water, the second group drank coconut water, a third group had mauby (a soft drink made from the bark of the mauby tree), and the fourth group drank a mix of coconut water and mauby.

The average systolic and average diastolic blood pressure decreased over the two-week observation period in all three comparison groups. Systolic pressure fell most in the coconut water group, and diastolic pressure fell most in the group that received the mixed drink.

However, the study's significance is limited due to the small number of participants and the short observation period. Coconut water may have an interesting mix of minerals. Its effect on blood pressure is, however, quite uncertain and not well supported by evidence.

In this part of the world, coconut water should be regarded more as a trendy drink than as an effective food for treating high blood pressure.

Sources

This article comes from BloodPressureDB – the leading app since 2011 that helps hundreds of thousands monitor their blood pressure every day. Our content is based on carefully researched, evidence-based data and is continuously updated (as of 01/2026).

Author Sabine Croci is a qualified medical assistant with many years of experience in internal medicine and cardiology practices as well as in outpatient care, and has led BloodPressureDB's specialist editorial team since 2015. Thanks to her extensive additional qualifications as a paramedic, first responder and in various therapy and emergency areas, she provides solid, practical and reliably reviewed information.

Does coconut water help with high blood pressure?

What is coconut water?

How does coconut water affect blood pressure?

Sources

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