Are plant waters worth the hype?
Find out if maple water, coconut water, and others live up to their health claims.
Jan, 2026
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Slide 1
There’s something in the water these days. Maple sap, coconut, aloe vera, and other unusual ingredients are popping up in bottled products across the country. The labels claim added electrolytes, minerals, antioxidants, and other benefits. But are these plant waters better than plain old H20?
We talked to Keith Roach, MD, associate professor in clinical medicine in the division of general medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City, and dietitian Frances Largeman-Roth, RDN, to help us make sense of the hype.
Written byTaylor Dahl.
Medically reviewed byAmy Gonzales, MD.
Sources: Cision PR Newswire. Coconut Water Market Size in the US to Grow by USD 2.46 Billion: Market Segmentation by Product and Flavor – Technavio. Page last reviewed November 29 + 6
- Cision PR Newswire. Coconut Water Market Size in the US to Grow by USD 2.46 Billion: Market Segmentation by Product and Flavor – Technavio. Page last reviewed November 29, 2022.
- Mayo Clinic. What is coconut water and what's behind the hype? Page last reviewed August 11, 2021.
- The University of Rhode Island. Pasteurized and sterilized maple sap as functional beverages: Chemical composition and antioxidant activities. Page last reviewed
- Ramadan MF, Gad HA, Farag MA. Chemistry, processing, and functionality of maple food products: An updated comprehensive review. Journal of Food Biochemistry. 2021;45(8).
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Aloe vera. Last updated August 2020.
- The Cleveland Clinic. The Benefits of Drinking Aloe Vera Juice. Page last reviewed April 6, 2022.
- Mayo Clinic. Aloe. Page last reviewed November 18, 2020.
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