Limit Coffee, Choose Tea for Better Bone Density Health

"We don't exactly know why [those who drink tea as opposed to coffee have a higher bone density]."

"However, based on  existing research in cells, it could potentially be due to tea containing compounds like catechins that may stimulate bone-building cells and therefore result in increased bone mineral density."

"Coffee's caffeine content, by contrast, has been shown in laboratory studies to interfere with calcium absorption and bone metabolism, though these effects are small and can be offset by adding milk." 

"Our results don't mean you need to give up coffee or start drinking tea by the gallon. But they do suggest that moderate tea consumption could be one simple way to support bone health, and that very high coffee intake might not be ideal, especially for women who drink alcohol."

"While calcium and vitamin D remain cornerstones of bone health, what's in your cup could play a role too. For older women, enjoying a daily cup of tea may be more than a comforting ritual, it could be a small step toward stronger bones."

Ryan Liu, Flinders University, Australia, study co-author 

 

"There's been a lot published about caffeine and bone density, and a lot of it is conflicting."

"The research is not saying you should go out of your way to stop or coffee's bad."

"You can continue drinking coffee, but there are some subgroups that make you more at risk for decreased bone mineral density [such as a high lifetime alcohol intake or consuming over five cups daily]."

Anika Anam, assistant professor of medicine, Yale School of Medicine

Researchers studied whether daily coffee and tea habits affected bone strength in older women. (iStock)

 

There are acknowledged benefits of consuming both tea and coffee in one's diet. However, a newly published study by researchers in Australia out of Flinders University studied data from the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures, an analysis of close to 10,000 women age 65 and older that concludes that too much coffee may affect bone health negatively. The researchers recorded tea and coffee consumption of participants, along with bone mineral density in their hip and femoral neck through follow-up periods.

 

Published in the journal Nutrients, their findings  were that at the 10-year mark, tea drinkers demonstrated slightly higher total hip bone mineral density than their coffee-consuming counterparts.  Still, the recorded bone mineral density was not found to be dramatic as an effect from tea drinking. "It's true there is a slight benefit of tea related to bone mineral density, but the difference is so, so small that clinically it may not be really relevant", observed professor of endocrinology, diabetes, nutrition and weight management, Michael Holick, of Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine.

 According to Kendall Moseley, medical director of the Johns Hopkins Metabolic Bone & Osteoporosis Center, low bone mineral density increases the risk of osteoporosis and "progressive thinning of the bone as we age, which makes someone more susceptible to fractures".

 

Women who drank tea had slightly better hip bone density than those who didn't, the study found. (iStock)

 

Around two to three cups of coffee daily seemed not to negatively affect bone mineral density, the researchers observed, but consuming five or more cups a day was associated with lower bone mineral density levels. Coffee drinkers reporting high lifetime alcohol consumption demonstrated lower femoral neckbone mineral density. The subjects in the study self-reported their use of tea and coffee, responding to the researchers' prompt that "asked for the number of cups, but not necessarily the type of tea, or the brewing strength", observed Anika Anam of Yale. 

 

The use of oral estrogen by participants was accounted for by the researchers, a type of hormone therapeutic regimen with the potential to strengthen bones. It was also acknowledged that there are other factors that play a role in the development of osteoporosis' likelihood that include family history, use of alcohol, tobacco smoking, along with race and ethnicity. In the final analysis, experts offer a commonsense solution: try not to exceed two to three cups of coffee daily.

 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, for example, recommends the consumption of no more than 400 milligrams of caffeine a day, relative to roughly three 12-fluid-ounce cups. 

 

Tea may slightly support bone health in older women, but it should not replace proven osteoporosis prevention, the study's co-author said. (iStock)