Is coconut water good for diabetics?
Coconut water is a low-glycemic food: its glycemic index is 55 (one lab test). A serving of 1 cup (8.5 oz, 240 g) has 8.9 g of carbs and 2.6 g of fiber, a glycemic load of about 3.
This page is for people with diabetes or prediabetes. The glycemic index compares foods, and the glycemic load on this page adjusts it for a real serving. If you follow a meal plan from your care team, use these numbers within it.
Carbs in a serving
| Per 1 cup (8.5 oz, 240 g) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Total carbohydrate | 8.9 g |
| Fiber | 2.6 g |
| Sugars | 6.3 g |
| Carbs minus fiber | 6.3 g |
| Glycemic load (GI × carbs minus fiber ÷ 100) | 3 |
USDA FoodData Central, Nuts, coconut water (liquid from coconuts). Glycemic load uses the median GI below.
Glycemic index tests
| Food as tested | GI | Category | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coconut Water, water of green coconut, Nudie™ | 55 | low | Australia |
Glucose = 100. Categories from the International Tables: low 55 or less, medium 56 to 69, high 70 or more. Only tests that met the ISO 26642:2010 method (Supplemental Table 1).
Compared with similar foods
| Food | Portion | GI | Carbs | Glycemic load |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coconut water | 1 cup (8.5 oz, 240 g) | 55 | 8.9 g | 3 |
| Rice milk | 8 fl oz (approximate weight, 1 serving, 240 g) | 79 | 22 g | 17 |
Same food group in the International Tables, each at its usual US portion (USDA).
How much the glycemic index matters
Studies and guidelines do not agree on how much weight to give the glycemic index.
- Level C A year after the World Health Organization set the glycemic index aside, a meta-analysis of cohorts each over a hundred thousand people linked high glycemic index diets to more diabetes, heart disease and death. Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 2024
- Level E The World Health Organization examined the glycemic index, found it inconsistent, and refused to build guidance on it. Carbohydrate intake for adults and children: WHO guideline, 2023
- Level C Glycemic index and glycemic load, the other two ways of judging carbohydrate, held up far worse than fiber in the same analysis. Reynolds et al., The Lancet, 2019
In practice
A cup of plain coconut water has 8.9 g of carbs, 6.3 g of them sugar, and a glycemic load of about 3.
The GI of 55 comes from one test of one packaged brand in healthy adults, so it is a rough guide. Sweetened or flavored coconut waters add sugar that this number does not cover, so check the label for added sugars.
If you use it to rehydrate, a cup is a modest amount of carbs. In gestational diabetes, your care team sets the carbs per meal, and the 8.9 g a cup counts toward them. If you have kidney disease, the potassium in coconut water is the bigger question.
Written from the agency positions and data on this page, reviewed by the Bioma editorial system. How we verify.
Keep exploring
Sources
- Atkinson FS et al. International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values 2021: a systematic review. Am J Clin Nutr 2021;114(5):1625-1632, Supplemental Table 1, PMID 34258626, doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqab233 (accessed 2026-10-12)
- USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (2018): Nuts, coconut water (liquid from coconuts), FDC ID 170174
- USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (2018): Beverages, rice milk, unsweetened, FDC ID 171942
- Evidence cards: each study above links to its source. Card review dates are listed in our methodology.
Sources checked 2026-10-12. Bioma Learn provides information, not medical advice.