Top health benefits of coconut, coconut water, coconut oil, and coconut milk.
Coconut is one of the healthy, useful, and delicious fruits, and it is possible to use the pulp, milk, or even coconut oil, but what do you know about the 10 Benefits of coconut?
In this article, we will discuss coconut benefits in the following points:
Coconut benefits
1. A source of vitamins and minerals
Coconut contains dietary fiber, vitamin B6, iron, magnesium, zinc, copper, manganese, and selenium.
These nutrients are beneficial to human health in general.
2. Improve digestion
Since coconut contains dietary fiber, this means that it has a role in promoting and improving digestion and reducing digestive problems that you may suffer from.
3. Heart protection
Coconut contains lauric acid, which works to boost good cholesterol levels.
So, eating coconut improves cholesterol levels and helps reduce belly fat, which in turn reflects positively on heart health and efficiency.
Overall, it was concluded that coconut oil has a neutral effect on cholesterol levels, but research is still needed.
4. Improve oral health
Due to its antimicrobial properties, eating coconut can help eliminate some unwanted bacteria present in the mouth and protect the gums and teeth from infection or cavities.
5. Strengthen the immune system
Since coconut fruit contains various nutrients, such as manganese and antioxidants, this means that eating it helps in strengthening the immune system.
This helps your body fight various infections more efficiently and reduce inflammation.
Coconut is also antiviral, antifungal, bacterial, and protozoal, which helps treat some diseases, such as throat infections, bronchitis, urinary tract infection, and tapeworms.
6. Weight loss
Eating coconut pulp regularly may aid in weight loss, as the medium-chain fatty acids present in large proportions in it help burn fat.
7. Regulating blood sugar levels
Coconut is low in carbs and high in fiber and fat, help slow digestion and improve insulin resistance, which can help regulate blood sugar levels.
Coconut arginine content. (Arginine is an amino acid that’s important for the functioning of pancreatic cells, which release the hormone insulin to regulate your blood sugar levels.)
8. Other benefits of coconut
As for the other benefits associated with eating coconut, they include:
- Strengthen and enhance brain functions.
- Improving male fertility.
- Reducing the risk of various cancers, the most important of which are colon and breast cancer.
- Protection from joint pain.
Coconut nutritional values
The table shows the nutrients available in 100 grams of fresh coconut and unsweetened desiccated coconut:
| Raw coconut meat | Dried coconut meat | |
| Calories | 354 | 650 |
| Protein | 3 grams | 7.5 grams |
| Carbs | 15 grams | 25 grams |
| Fiber | 9 grams | 18 grams |
| Fat | 33 grams | 65 grams |
| Manganese | 75% of the Daily Value (DV) | 137% of the DV |
| Copper | 22% of the DV | 40% of the DV |
| Selenium | 14% of the DV | 26% of the DV |
| Magnesium | 8% of the DV | 23% of the DV |
| Phosphorus | 11% of the DV | 21% of the DV |
| Iron | 13% of the DV | 18% of the DV |
| Potassium | 10% of the DV | 16% of the DV |
Benefits of coconut water
The benefits of coconut water are many and varied, the most important of which are the following:
General health benefits of coconut water:
- A good source of many nutrients.
- Coconut water contains 94% water and very little fat.
- Among the most important nutrients in this drink are fiber, carbohydrates, proteins, and magnesium, in addition to calcium and sodium.
- Coconut water is completely different from coconut milk because coconut milk has a higher fat content compared to coconut water.
- Coconut water contains a high amount of potassium that may reach more than 10 times the amount found in other sports drinks, and the importance of potassium, in turn, lies in maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance in the body, especially when doing some exercise.
Anti-oxidant in coconut water
It is worth noting that there are many studies and research conducted on some animals that showed the importance and benefits of coconut water because it contains antioxidants.
Antioxidants work to get rid of free radicals in order to avoid the damage they cause during the body’s metabolism process, which may enter the body in a state of oxidative stress that causes the destruction of some cells, increasing the risk of disease.
Coconut water and diabetes
Some studies and research have shown the importance of using coconut water in lowering blood sugar levels, in addition to its contribution to improving other health markers in animals suffering from diabetes. This is because it contains magnesium, which increases insulin sensitivity and reduces blood sugar levels, especially for individuals with type 2 diabetes.
Prevention of kidney stones
Drinking enough fluids contributes greatly to the prevention of kidney stones, and despite the importance of regular water to prevent kidney stones, coconut water has been shown to be better than regular water in preventing them.
It is worth knowing that kidney stones consist of a union of calcium and oxalate, in addition to some other compounds that lead to the formation of crystals in the urine.
Also, some other studies have proven that one of the benefits of coconut water is its contribution to reducing the number of crystals formed in the urine.
Healthy sports drink
Coconut water is one of the natural healthy drinks that does not contain any additives, such as sugar, artificial sweeteners, or food coloring, and it contains low amounts of carbohydrates compared to other drinks.
Also, drinking does not cause any health problems, such as nausea, or stomach disorders.
It must be noted not to add any sugars to coconut water, because it prevents the proper hydration caused by this drink when consumed.
We recommend Amazon bestseller coconut water: Bai Coconut Flavored Water
Side effects of coconut water
Although it is low in calories, fat, carbohydrates, and high levels of potassium that are important to the body, coconut water may cause some health damages, and coconut water damages the following:
Lowering blood pressure
Coconut water may help in lowering blood pressure because it contains potassium, as it can improve systolic blood pressure (i.e. The higher the number of the blood pressure reading).
Therefore, you should consult your doctor about using coconut water in case you suffer from irregular blood pressure or take blood pressure medications.
High levels of potassium in the body
Potassium is one of the important nutrients for health, but if its levels are high in the body, it is necessary to search for a diet that does not contain high levels of potassium to avoid the damage resulting from its high.
Because coconut water is rich in potassium, it can cause its levels to rise dramatically in people with high potassium.
Kidney patients should also avoid consuming coconut water because it may not filter potassium efficiently and thus it will build up in the body.
Bloating and stomach upset
Coconut water contains important minerals (electrolytes) for the body that can help maintain fluid balance, which includes calcium, potassium, sodium, and magnesium.
Drinks rich in minerals such as coconut water can cause bloating and stomach upset if consumed in excess.
Raising sodium levels in the body
In addition to potassium, coconut water contains sodium in a small percentage, but if you eat a lot of coconut water, it can pose a danger to people with high levels of sodium in the body or who eat foods rich in sodium.
Raise the level of sugar in the blood
Coconut water may not be classified as a sugary drink, but it does contain carbohydrates and calories, so people with high blood sugar should not drink it on a daily basis and in large quantities.
Benefits of coconut oil
Here are the most important benefits of coconut oil for health and the body
1.Prevention of infection and parasites
Coconut oil helps fight infection and prevent fungi and bacteria, as a result of its content of lauric acid, which is a fatty acid that makes up a good proportion of the components of coconut oil, approximately 50% of its fat content.
It has proven to have a significant role in eliminating some types of parasites that cause infection and getting rid of some types of bacteria and fungi.
2. Burn fat and lose weight
Perhaps the strangest and most notable of coconut oil’s most famous and remarkable benefits is its role in helping to lose weight and burn fat:
It was found that eating coconut oil helps to increase the speed of energy-burning and consumption in the body, which contributes to increasing the speed of various metabolic processes and burning fat.
It was found that it has an effective role in curbing appetite and eliminating hunger and thus helping to consume fewer calories during the day when eating it.
Thus, it will have an effective role in losing weight, burning, and getting rid of fat, especially the type of fat surrounding the internal organs of the body, and the fat accumulated in the abdominal area.
3. Promote cardiovascular health
A study found that the fats in coconut oil have a significant role in improving and enhancing the health of the heart and arteries, as it works to reduce triglycerides and total cholesterol in the body and raise the levels of good cholesterol in the body (HDL).
Another study found that coconut oil has a similar effect to olive oil, meaning that it does not cause an increase in bad cholesterol and does not help reduce bad cholesterol in the body (LDL), and we still need more research on this.
All of this contributes significantly to reducing the incidence of heart disease and stroke.
4. Beneficial for brain health
Alzheimer’s or dementia may result from the inability of some parts of the brain to consume glucose molecules to take energy from them, and it has been found that adding coconut oil to the diet of Alzheimer’s patients and patients with brain disorders may effectively help.
After the digestion process takes place and the fatty acids in coconut oil turn into ketones, these ketone bodies are used as a source of energy for brain cells and as a substitute for glucose, helping to enhance brain function and reduce Alzheimer’s symptoms.
A study also demonstrated the ability of the fatty acids in coconut oil to improve memory problems in the elderly.
5. The beauty and physical benefits of coconut oil
Coconut oil has a great and wide role in aesthetics, and we mention the most common uses for it:
- Preserve the health of hair from damage and protect it from the sun’s ultraviolet rays.
- Promote skin and skin health, hydration, and protection from the sun’s ultraviolet rays.
- It can be used as a make-up remover.
- Resistant to wrinkles and signs of aging.
- Prevention of pregnancy cracks and stretch marks.
- Get rid of bad breath when rinsing with it.
- Natural exfoliator for the skin when used with sugar.
- Get rid of cellulite when you keep using it.
- Soothe symptoms of psoriasis, eczema and arthritis.
- Reducing the appearance of varicose veins.
- Reducing vaginal secretions.
- Helping improve nail growth.
- Useful for massage and massage.
Benefits of coconut oil for skin
There are several benefits of coconut oil for the skin, including:
- Protecting dry, or scaly, skin, as it provides high moisture to the skin, and it also protects the skin from skin diseases.
- Strengthen the skin tissue more deeply, removing dead skin cells when quickly absorbed by the skin.
- killing the candida that causes the fungal infection on the skin; Because it contains fatty acids, such as lauric acid, capric acid, and caprylic acid.
- Calm’s eczema, sunburn, and psoriasis, and have antiviral and antifungal benefits that help treat insect bites.
- Delaying the occurrence of wrinkles, preventing premature aging; It contains vitamin E, which is an antioxidant that protects skin cells from damage over time.
We recommend Amazon best seller coconut oil: Fractionated Coconut Oil
Benefits of coconut milk
Coconut milk has many benefits including:
1-Reduce weight:
The fats in coconut milk may aid in weight loss, as these fats go from the digestive system to the liver immediately to be used as energy, they are not stored in the body.
Various scientific studies have also indicated that this type of fat reduces appetite and the number of calories consumed and works to increase metabolism in the body.
2-Contribute to lowering harmful cholesterol levels:
Coconut milk is rich in saturated fat, and a study published in the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism in 2013 indicated that a group of men ate coconut milk porridge for 8 weeks.
Reduce the levels of harmful cholesterol, and increase the level of good cholesterol significantly, and therefore the fats in coconuts do not have a harmful effect on the levels of fats in the body, In other hands, a study showed, It was published in the journal Lipids that replacing the monounsaturated fat with lauric acid found in coconut may increase LDL cholesterol levels by 16% in women, by decreasing the activity of receptors that remove LDL cholesterol from the blood.
3-Promotes heart health:
To contribute to lowering bad cholesterol levels in the body, which positively reflects on heart health and promotes it.
It should be noted that the reaction of the body to this milk varies from person to person, and therefore it is important to consult a specialist, especially for cholesterol patients, before consuming it.
4- Reduce inflammation:
Coconut oil and its extract may reduce inflammation and swell in the mouth as a laboratory study published in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Biology in 2010 showed that virgin coconut oil possesses anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving, and fever-reducing properties, and this oil is the purely natural oil from coconut milk. India, which was prepared without the use of chemical processing, or high heat treatment.
5-To reduce the size of stomach ulcers:
A laboratory study was conducted, published in the Journal of Phytotherapy Research in 2008, on the effect of coconut milk in reducing ulcers caused by a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug in mice, and the results showed that the effect of coconut milk reduced these ulcers, and its effect was similar to the effect of sucralfate. Sucralfate), used to treat peptic ulcers, and that this effect was stronger than the effect of coconut water in reducing these ulcers, in addition, it is possible for coconut milk and water to reduce the risk of ulcers in the gastric mucosa.
6- Fighting bacteria and fungi:
It is believed that lauric acid found in coconut can support the immune system, and may also possess antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties, as a preliminary study published in the Annals of Clinical and Laboratory Research in 2017 showed that lauric acid inhibits the growth of some types of bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumonia, In addition, it has been found that lauric acid leads to apoptosis and the death of cancer cells in both From the breast and endometrium, the results indicate that this acid inhibits the growth of cancer cells, by stimulating certain receptor proteins that regulate cell growth.
We recommend Amazon bestseller coconut milk: Native Forest Simple Organic Unsweetened Coconut Milk
conclusion:
At the end of the article, we have discovered with each other the benefits of coconut, coconut water, oil, and milk. Did you get benefited from the article, Tell us in the comments.
Read more about:
