Better than water for surviving a heat wave

The scorching heat wave that’s hitting most of the U.S. isn’t just uncomfortable. It’s deadly. And those over 65 are the most at risk.

The older you are, the more difficult it is to stay hydrated.  Reason:  Your thirst sensation naturally declines as you age. So you may not even know you need water.

But there’s a bigger problem: Water alone is not enough to reverse moderate to severe dehydration. That’s right! You could drink plenty of water and still die from heat stress.

Fortunately, there’s a natural way to get everything your body needs to survive this heat. It’s better than water. It’s better than sports drinks. And it could save your life.

Here’s What You Need to Know

To survive this killer heat and avoid severe dehydration, you need more than just water. You also need electrolytes.

Electrolytes are essential minerals like sodium, calcium, and potassium. Without these minerals, your organs will begin to shut down.

Since your body loses these minerals when you sweat, severe heat can cause you to lose these minerals quickly. That’s what makes the heat so deadly.

To avoid this problem, there are a lot of sports drinks on the market that promise to replenish your electrolytes. But most of them have too much sugar and not enough electrolytes to really help your body replenish what it’s lost.

But there is a better solution:  coconut water.

Coconut water’s electrolyte composition is exactly what your body needs to stay perfectly hydrated. And it rehydrates better than water or sports drinks.

A study published in the June 2002 issue of the Journal of Physiological Anthropology and Applied Human Science discovered this. The researchers found that coconut water was more effective at restoring water and electrolyte levels than just plain water or the sports drink.

They also found that coconut water caused less stomach upset. And it had a flavor the participants preferred over water and a carbohydrate-electrolyte beverage.

In another study, researchers in India followed people with dehydration caused by diarrhea. In the study, they compared coconut water with the standard oral rehydration salt (ORS) solution. The coconut water helped the participants retain fluids considerably better than the ORS solution.

Other clinical and published studies have repeated these results. They all prove that coconut water outperforms ORS.

Can It Save Your Life?

The answer is yes! In fact, you can survive on just coconut water. We saw this in 2004 when the Indonesian tsunami wiped out the fresh water supplies. Many people drank coconut water instead.

But that’s not all.  Research shows that coconut water’s chemical composition is similar to that of human blood plasma. An article published in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine in January 2000 showed how coconut water can replace IV fluid in remote parts of the world or in emergency situations. The article reports of a case in which electrolyte balance was successfully restored in a patient by treating him with an IV of coconut water, which flowed directly from the coconut.

It’s unlikely you’ll need it as an IV. But drinking it can save your life too. In fact, it’s so effective at preventing and treating dehydration that it’s a good idea to drink a can of it every day during a heat wave. This is especially true if you’re going to be outside or doing any strenuous exercise in the heat.

You can buy coconuts and crack them open with an ax or machete. But it’s probably more practical to just buy coconut water in a can or bottle from the grocery store. Make sure you don’t buy coconut milk, which is made from the meat of the coconut. You want the water from the center of the fruit. Also make sure it doesn’t contain any added sugar. A few brands do.