Water chestnut

Eleocharis dulcis

What water chestnut has been studied for

1 association assessed — none with dependable human evidence behind them yet. Strongest first.

1 Insufficient

Blood glucose responseBlood Sugar & Metabolic Health · 3 sourcesInsufficient— jump to the detail and sources

2 things to know first — allergies, interactions and intake limits

About water chestnut

The corm of an aquatic sedge, not a nut, prized for staying crisp even after long cooking. That crispness comes from phenolic cross-links in its cell walls that heat does not break down.

Also known as Chinese water chestnut, Matai, Waterchestnut

Blood Sugar & Metabolic Health

The evidence in depth

Best supported: Insufficient

What each association actually rests on, and the papers behind it. A rating describes the state of the research, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Blood glucose response

Blood Sugar & Metabolic Health

Insufficient evidence

Water chestnut is a starchy corm sometimes suggested as a low-glycaemic addition to stir-fries. No human study has measured its glucose response or any longer-term glycaemic marker.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

3 sources

Evaluation of the Postprandial-Hyperglycemia-Suppressing Effects and Safety of Short-Term Intake of Mulberry Leaf and Water Chestnut Tea: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Crossover Trial.(opens in a new tab)
Randomised controlled trial · Nutrients · 2025 · PMID 40732933
Mulberry leaves and water chestnut tea reduces postprandial blood glucose in borderline diabetic Japanese: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study.(opens in a new tab)
Randomised controlled trial · Asia Pacific journal of clinical nutrition · 2025 · PMID 40134056
Effects of mulberry leaves & water chestnut husk tea on postprandial and second meal interstitial glucose in healthy adults: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study.(opens in a new tab)
Randomised controlled trial · Asia Pacific journal of clinical nutrition · 2026 · PMID 42242851

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Ask about Water chestnut

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
Nutrient	Amount	% DV
Macronutrients
Calories	97 kcal	5%
Protein	1.4 g	3%
Total fat	0.1 g	0%
Carbohydrate	23.9 g	9%
Fibre	3 g	11%
Total sugars	4.8 g	—
Water	73.5 g	—
Fats
Saturated fat	0.026 g	0%
Monounsaturated fat	0.0020 g	—
Polyunsaturated fat	0.043 g	—
Cholesterol	0 mg	0%
EPA (omega-3)	0 g	—
DHA (omega-3)	0 g	—
DPA (omega-3)	0 g	—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)	0.032 g	—
Vitamins
Vitamin A	0 µg	0%
Vitamin C	4 mg	4%
Vitamin D	0 µg	0%
Vitamin E	1.2 mg	8%
Vitamin K	0.3 µg	0%
Thiamin (B1)	0.14 mg	12%
Riboflavin (B2)	0.2 mg	15%
Niacin (B3)	1 mg	6%
Pantothenic acid (B5)	0.479 mg	10%
Vitamin B6	0.328 mg	19%
Folate	16 µg	4%
Vitamin B12	0 µg	0%
Choline	36.2 mg	7%
Minerals
Calcium	11 mg	1%
Iron	0.06 mg	0%
Magnesium	22 mg	5%
Phosphorus	63 mg	5%
Potassium	584 mg	12%
Sodium	14 mg	1%
Zinc	0.5 mg	5%
Copper	0.326 mg	36%
Manganese	0.331 mg	14%
Selenium	0.7 µg	1%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene	0 µg	—
Alpha-carotene	0 µg	—
Lycopene	0 µg	—
Lutein + zeaxanthin	0 µg	—
Caffeine	0 mg	—
Ash	1.1 g	—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Waterchestnuts, chinese, (matai), raw (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 170066).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

Nothing dependable is recorded about how preparation changes this food’s nutritional properties. Rather than guess, this section stays empty.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

Worth knowing
Raw water chestnuts and intestinal flukes
Fresh water chestnuts grown in ponds can carry Fasciolopsis buski cysts on their skins, and peeling them with the teeth is a documented route of infection in parts of Asia. Cooking removes the risk; canned product is already cooked.
Worth knowing
Canned product is a different food
Most water chestnuts sold outside Asia are canned in water, which lowers vitamin C and adds sodium unless rinsed. The nutrient panel on this page is for the fresh raw corm.