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Tea Tied to Slightly Higher Hip Bone Density in Older Women

Very high coffee intake was associated with reduced bone density in the Nutrients study.

Overview

  • Flinders University analyzed repeated diet and bone measurements in nearly 10,000 women aged 65 and older over about 10 years, with results published in Nutrients.
  • Daily tea consumption was linked to modestly higher total hip bone mineral density compared with no tea.
  • Moderate coffee intake showed no clear harm, but drinking more than five cups per day correlated with lower hip bone density.
  • Women with higher lifetime alcohol use appeared more susceptible to coffee’s negative associations, and tea’s apparent benefit was more evident among women with obesity.
  • Researchers and experts stressed the observational nature and small effect sizes and advised maintaining proven bone-health measures such as adequate calcium and vitamin D.