Coconut water for athletes.If your thing is to practice physical exercise until you are exhausted and sweat on all four sides, you should rehydrate with coconut water. Chhandashri Bhattacharya and his colleagues at Indiana University (USA) have estimated that this natural drink contains five times more potassium than Gatorade or Powerade, the most popular isotonic drinks among athletes. “Every time we have muscle cramps, potassium helps us eliminate them, so coconut water is the most suitable liquid to replace the nutrients that the body loses when exercising,” explains Bhattachar. Three hundred milliliters of coconut water contain more potassium than a banana.
Anti-inflammatory mangosteen juice.Consuming half a liter of mangosteen juice a day, an exotic tropical superfruit of Indonesian origin, strengthens the immune system and reduces inflammation, especially in obese people. In this way, it is possible to avoid the development of heart disease and diabetes, according to a Californian study published in the Nutrition Journal.
Watermelon juice anti-stiffness.“Avívate” is the expressive name with which a new functional watermelon juice has been baptized at the Higher Technical School of Agricultural Engineering in Cartagena (Murcia) that reduces muscle pain 24 hours after carrying out an intense sporting activity. The effect is due to an amino acid called L-citrulline, which is found in huge quantities in the rind of this fruit.
Neuroprotective apple juice.The neurobiologist Thomas B. Shea, from the University of Massachusetts (USA), recently demonstrated that consuming two glasses of apple juice a day for a month reduces the production of the amyloid beta protein that forms the “senile plaques” in the brain of Alzheimer’s patients. In addition, this drink increases the production of an essential neurotransmitter for memory and learning: acetylcholine.
