Coconut Water's Purported Healthy Ingredients Called Into Question

It seems every yoga mat-toting, Pilates-doing health nut these days has gone cuckoo for coconut water when it comes time to rehydrate, bro. But a new report calls into question the healthy claims made by the top brands of the trendy sport drink.

Those trying to avoid the calories of guzzling a Gatorade have turned to coconut water for electrolytes like sodium and magnesium. But as CNN reports, a test of three brands by ConsumerLab.com finds that only one brand, Zico Natural, lived up to its claims.

The independent health-product testing firm says the sugar and potassium content in Vita Coco and O.N.E. were in line with their labels, but the amounts of sodium and magnesium were as much as 82% and 35% lower, respectively, than the listed amount.

Arthur Gallego, the director of communications for Vita Coco, said in a statement that he could not comment specifically on the report, as the company has not thoroughly reviewed it.

He noted, however, that Vita Coco is derived from coconuts grown in multiple locations in Brazil and Southeast Asia, and that the individual cartons tested by ConsumerLab.com aren’t necessarily representative of Vita Coco’s average nutritional content.

The main point here, is if you’re looking for electrolytes, these aren’t necessarily going to do it — instead, drink water and get sodium and potassium from foods like bananas or almond butter. Also if you’re not running a marathon or entering Iron Man, you really don’t need a sports drink.

However, drinking coconut water is still better than a Big Gulp of soda or another sports drink, so if you’re hankering for a little something liquidy and sweet, by all means, drink up.

Coconut water label claims question [CNN]

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