Coconut and coconut water: the oil raises LDL, the water is no sports drink

Most human research on coconut is about its oil, a different product from the flesh or the water. Pooled across 16 trials, coconut oil raised LDL cholesterol by 10.47 mg/dL (95% CI 3.01 to 17.94) compared with nontropical vegetable oils, with high heterogeneity between the trials. One four week trial in healthy adults aged 50 to 75 in the UK found something different: 1.8 oz (50 g) of coconut oil a day left LDL no different from olive oil, while butter raised it by 16 mg/dL (0.42 mmol/L). The pooled result rests on many more trials, so it is the one to lean on. For weight, a meta-analysis of seven trials in 515 adults found that coconut oil did not significantly lower body weight (mean difference -0.53 lb (-0.24 kg)), and its authors rated the evidence very low certainty. Coconut water did no better than plain water over a 10 km cycling time trial in 10 trained men. The most striking result is medical. In 95 adults with mild to moderate ulcerative colitis at a single center in India, 14 fl oz (400 mL) a day added to standard therapy for 8 weeks brought 53.1% into remission against 28.3% on placebo. That is one trial in people already being treated, and the coconut water was added to their treatment, not used in place of it.

How much is actually in it

• Lab analysis of 45 coconuts found potassium in coconut water falling as the nut matured from the sixth to the ninth month, with a median of 64 mEq/L. — water from 45 dwarf coconuts, sixth to ninth month of maturity, inland Brazil (n = 45 coconuts) Evidence C source
  Potassium median 64 mEq/L (46 to 99); sodium 3 mEq/L; osmolarity 419 mOsmol/L; potassium, calcium, magnesium and chloride fell with maturity
• Fresh coconut flesh holds 351 calories, 36.0 g fat of which 31.39 g saturated, 7.3 g fiber and 370 mg potassium per 3.5 oz (100 g) by the UK tables. — CoFID 2021 record 14-816 Coconut, flesh only, fresh, per 3.5 oz (100 g) (n = 1 reference record) Evidence E source
  Energy 351 calories; fat 36.0 g; saturated 31.39 g (91.2% of fatty acids); NSP fiber 7.3 g; protein 3.2 g; sugars 3.7 g; water 45.0 g; potassium 370 mg; iron 2.10 mg; manganese 1.00 mg

What a real portion looks like

• A typical 240 g glass of unsweetened coconut water carries 396 mg potassium and 9.4 g sugars, while a 13 oz (360 g) can of sweetened coconut water carries 31.6 g sugars. — USDA FNDDS food codes Coconut water unsweetened (fdc 2707572) and sweetened (fdc 2707573), per portion (n = 2 foods) Evidence E source
  Unsweetened: potassium 165 mg and sugars 3.92 g per 3.5 oz (100 g), 1 coconut yields 206 g; sweetened: potassium 157 mg and sugars 8.78 g per 3.5 oz (100 g), 1 can 360 g
• One cup of fresh coconut in the US survey database weighs 3 oz (85 g), and an unspecified portion 0.99 oz (28 g). — USDA FNDDS Coconut, fresh, food code 42106000 (fdc 2707500) (n = 2 measures) Evidence E source
  1 cup 85 g; quantity not specified 28 g

What your body absorbs

• Drinking 10 fl oz (300 mL) tender coconut water twice daily for 14 days did not significantly change plasma potassium in 32 women with prehypertension compared with water. — 32 women aged 25-44 years with prehypertension, 14 days (n = 32) Evidence B source
  Plasma potassium between groups p = 0.247; change p = 0.166, not significant
• After 14 fl oz (400 mL) of coconut water the stomach emptied in 2.5 hours on average, against 4.5 hours for a meat sandwich, in 17 healthy volunteers. — 17 healthy volunteers of both sexes after a 10 hour fast, crossover (n = 17) Evidence B source
  Gastric emptying 2.5 (SD 0.7) h vs 4.5 (SD 0.9) h, p<0.001

What cooking and storage change

• Roasting costs the Nut and Seed group 20 percent of its folate, vitamin C and phosphorus and 15 percent of thiamin, while potassium, magnesium, iron and zinc stay in full. — USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors Release 6, group Nut and Seed Products, method NUTS,ROASTED, code 2203, the group coconut belongs to (n = 16 nutrients in the method row) Evidence E source
  Phosphorus, vitamin C, folate 80% retained; thiamin 85%; sodium, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6 95%; calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc, copper 100%

What it does to your health

• Eating 1.8 oz (50 g) of extra virgin coconut oil daily for 4 weeks left LDL cholesterol no different from olive oil (-1.5 mg/dL (-0.04 mmol/L)) while butter raised it by 16 mg/dL (0.42 mmol/L). — healthy men and women aged 50-75 years in Cambridgeshire, UK, 4 weeks (n = 94) Evidence B source
  LDL-C coconut oil vs olive oil -1.5 mg/dL (95% CI -10 to 7.3; metric: -0.04 mmol/L, -0.27 to 0.19); butter vs coconut oil +16 mg/dL (95% CI 7.3 to 25; metric: 0.42 mmol/L, 0.19 to 0.65)
• Adding 14 fl oz (400 mL) of coconut water a day for 8 weeks to standard therapy brought 53.1% of patients with mild to moderate ulcerative colitis into remission versus 28.3% on placebo. — adults with mild to moderate endoscopically active ulcerative colitis, single center in India, 8 weeks (n = 95) Evidence B source
  Remission 53.1% vs 28.3%, OR 2.9 (95% CI 1.2 to 6.7); clinical response 57.1% vs 28.3%, OR 3.4 (95% CI 1.4 to 7.9)
• In a small two week non-randomized trial in hypertension, 71% of those given coconut water had a significant drop in systolic blood pressure. — 28 hypertensive adults in Trinidad and Tobago, four groups of 7, 2 weeks (n = 28) Evidence C source
  Significant systolic decrease in 71% of the coconut water group; diastolic in 29%

Safety, limits and interactions

• In an 8 week trial of 14 fl oz (400 mL) coconut water daily in 95 patients with ulcerative colitis, adverse events matched placebo and no patient developed hyperkalemia. — adults with mild to moderate ulcerative colitis with normal care, 8 weeks (n = 95) Evidence B source
  Adverse events comparable between arms; 0 cases of hyperkalemia
• In a German Salmonella Muenchen outbreak of 301 cases, patients had eaten dried coconut pieces far more often than controls (adjusted OR 176). — 301 laboratory-confirmed cases in Germany, September 2020 to July 2021; case-control subset of 30 cases and 116 controls (n = 301 cases) Evidence C source
  Dried coconut eaten by 22/30 cases vs 2/116 controls, aOR 176 (95% CI 32 to 954)

What people believe that the data does not support

• Coconut oil raised LDL cholesterol by 10.47 mg/dL compared with nontropical vegetable oils in a meta-analysis of 16 trials. — adults in clinical trials of at least 2 weeks comparing coconut oil with other fats (n = 16 trials) Evidence A source
  LDL-C +10.47 mg/dL (95% CI 3.01 to 17.94); HDL-C +4.00 mg/dL (95% CI 2.26 to 5.73); no effect on glycemia, inflammation or adiposity
• In a meta-analysis of seven randomized trials with 515 adults, coconut oil did not significantly lower body weight (mean difference -0.53 lb (-0.24 kg)). — adults in randomized trials, 50% women, follow-up 4 weeks to 2 years (n = 515) Evidence A source
  Body weight MD -0.53 lb (95% CI -1.8 to 0.75; metric: -0.24 kg, -0.83 to 0.34); LDL-C MD -1.67 mg/dL (95% CI -6.93 to 3.59); HDL-C MD +3.28 mg/dL (95% CI 0.66 to 5.90)
• Coconut water did not beat plain water for hydration or 10 km cycling time trial performance in 10 trained men (971.4 vs 966.6 s). — 10 trained males, 60 min submaximal cycling plus a 10 km time trial, crossover (n = 10) Evidence B source
  Time trial 971.4 s coconut water vs 966.6 s water, p = .698; voluntary intake 3.9 vs 7.1 fl oz (115 vs 208.7 mL)

The bottom line

Fresh coconut flesh is mostly fat. By the UK tables it has 351 calories and 36.0 g fat per 3.5 oz (100 g), and 31.39 g of that fat is saturated. A cup of fresh coconut weighs 3 oz (85 g) in the US survey database. The water is a different drink. A 240 g glass of unsweetened coconut water carries 396 mg potassium and 9.4 g sugars, and a 13 oz (360 g) can of the sweetened kind carries 31.6 g sugars, both converted from per 3.5 oz (100 g) values. Potassium in real coconut water depends on how ripe the nut was. In 45 dwarf coconuts from one Brazilian plantation it fell from the sixth to the ninth month, with a median of 64 mEq/L. Roasting nuts and seeds, the USDA group coconut belongs to, keeps potassium, magnesium, iron and zinc in full and costs 20 percent of folate, vitamin C and phosphorus. In 32 women with prehypertension, 10 fl oz (300 mL) of tender coconut water twice a day for 14 days did not significantly change plasma potassium compared with water. A non-randomized trial in 28 adults with hypertension in Trinidad and Tobago reported a systolic drop in 71% of the coconut water group after two weeks, with 7 people per group, so it is a signal to test and nothing more. After 14 fl oz (400 mL) of coconut water the stomach emptied in 2.5 hours on average against 4.5 hours for a meat sandwich, in 17 fasting volunteers measured by ultrasound. Who should be careful. Dried coconut pieces were behind a German Salmonella Muenchen outbreak of 301 cases: 22 of 30 cases had eaten them against 2 of 116 controls (adjusted OR 176, 95% CI 32 to 954). That is an odds ratio for dried coconut eaten raw, and it does not give the risk per packet. In the colitis trial, 14 fl oz (400 mL) a day for 8 weeks caused no hyperkalemia and side effects matched placebo, in people without known kidney disease, so it does not answer the question for anyone else. If you have kidney disease or take drugs that hold on to potassium, such as losartan or spironolactone, including for high blood pressure, coconut water every day is a question for the person treating you before you start.

Sources

1. cocw-daily-r7-09 · composition analysis
   The analysis of coconut water from the sixth to ninth month did not find any differences in the median concentrations of sodium (3 mEq/L; 2 and 3), glucose (0.6 g/L; 0.3 and 17.3) or total proteins (9 g/L; 6 and 12), but detected a reduction in the concentration of potassium (64 mEq/L; 46 and 99)
   J Pediatr (Rio J), 2006 · checked 2026-09-29
2. cocw-daily-r7-12 · reference dataset
   CoFID 14-816 Coconut, flesh only, fresh: Energy 351 kcal, Fat 36.0 g, Satd FA /100g fd 31.39 g, NSP 7.3 g, Protein 3.2 g, Total sugars 3.7 g, Water 45.0 g, Potassium 370 mg, Iron 2.10 mg, Manganese 1.00 mg
   CoFID 2021, Public Health England, code 14-816 · checked 2026-09-29
3. cocw-daily-r7-13 · reference dataset
   Coconut water, unsweetened, fdc 2707572: Potassium 165 MG per 100 g | Total Sugars 3.92 G per 100 g | 1 coconut yields 206 g | Quantity not specified 240 g || Coconut water, sweetened, fdc 2707573: Potassium 157 MG per 100 g | Total Sugars 8.78 G per 100 g | 1 can 360 g
   USDA FNDDS, Coconut water unsweetened code 42403010 and sweetened · checked 2026-09-29
4. cocw-daily-r7-14 · reference dataset
   Coconut, fresh, FNDDS 42106000: 1 cup 85 g | Quantity not specified 28 g
   USDA FNDDS, Coconut fresh code 42106000 · checked 2026-09-29
5. cocw-daily-r7-07 · RCT
   Thirthy-two female aged 25-44 years were randomly allocated to 14 days on TCW or water in a parallel randomized clinical trial. ... After 14 days treatment, potassium plasma level between T and C groups were not significantly different (p=0,247).
   Curr Hypertens Rev, 2017 · checked 2026-09-29
6. cocw-daily-r7-08 · RCT
   Mean + SD gastric emptying times were 2.5 + 0.7 and 4.5 + 0.9h for liquid and solid foods, respectively (p<0.001).
   Braz J Anesthesiol, 2018 · checked 2026-09-29
7. cocw-daily-r7-15 · nutrient retention factor dataset
   USDA-RETN-R6:2203 | Nut and Seed Products | NUTS,ROASTED | phosphorus_mg 80% retained | vitamin_c_mg 80% | folate_total_ug 80% | thiamin_mg 85% | sodium_mg 95% | riboflavin_mg 95% | niacin_mg 95% | vitamin_b6_mg 95% | calcium_mg 100% | iron_mg 100% | magnesium_mg 100% | potassium_mg 100% | zinc_mg 100% | copper_mg 100%
   USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6 (2007) · checked 2026-09-29
8. cocw-daily-r7-03 · RCT
   LDL-C concentrations were significantly increased on butter compared with coconut oil (+0.42, 95% CI 0.19 to 0.65 mmol/L, P<0.0001) and with olive oil (+0.38, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.60 mmol/L, P<0.0001), with no differences in change of LDL-C in coconut oil compared with olive oil (-0.04, 95% CI -0.27 to 0.19 mmol/L, P=0.74).
   BMJ Open, 2018 · checked 2026-09-29
9. cocw-daily-r7-04 · RCT
   Four hundred mL of CW was administered for 8 weeks. ... remission (53.1% vs 28.3%; OR, 2.9; 95% CI, 1.2-6.7; P = .02)
   Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol, 2024 · checked 2026-09-29
10. cocw-daily-r7-11 · clinical trial
    Significant decreases in the mean systolic blood pressure were observed for 71%, 40% and 43% respectively of the groups receiving the coconut water, mauby and the mixture (p < or = 0.05).
    West Indian Med J, 2005 · checked 2026-09-29
11. cocw-daily-r7-05 · RCT
    Adverse events were comparable, and no patient developed hyperkalemia.
    Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol, 2024 · checked 2026-09-29
12. cocw-daily-r7-10 · case-control
    Cases included in the case-control study more often consumed dried coconut pieces (22/30) than controls (2/116) (aOR: 176 (95% confidence interval: 32-954)).
    Epidemiol Infect, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29
13. cocw-daily-r7-01 · meta-analysis
    Coconut oil consumption significantly increased LDL-cholesterol by 10.47 mg/dL (95% CI: 3.01, 17.94; I2 = 84%, N=16) and HDL-cholesterol by 4.00 mg/dL (95% CI: 2.26, 5.73; I2 = 72%, N=16) as compared with nontropical vegetable oils.
    Circulation, 2020 · checked 2026-09-29
14. cocw-daily-r7-02 · meta-analysis
    We included seven studies in the meta-analysis (n = 515; 50% females, follow up from 4 weeks to 2 years). ... Coconut oil intake did not significantly decrease body weight (MD -0.24 kg, 95% CI -0.83 kg to 0.34 kg)
    Lipids Health Dis, 2022 · checked 2026-09-29
15. cocw-daily-r7-06 · RCT
    CW did not significantly improve time trial performance compared with PW (971.4 ± 50.5 and 966.6 ± 44.8 s respectively; p = .698) and there was also no significant differences between trials for any of the physiological variables measured.
    Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, 2017 · checked 2026-09-29