Osteoporosis affects around one in three women over the age of 50. The condition weakens the bones and increases the risk of fractures.
Researchers from Flinders University studied nearly 10,000 women aged 65 or older. The women were followed for ten years as part of the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures, with the findings published in the journal Nutrients.
Throughout the study, participants regularly reported how much coffee and tea they drank.
At the same time, the researchers measured their bone density at the hip and femoral neck, areas that are important in determining the risk of fractures, writes ScienceDaily.
Also read: How eating tahini every day can affect your heart and cholesterol
Several factors play a role
According to the researchers, the differences observed were small and do not in themselves warrant major changes to everyday habits.
Other habits and circumstances also played a role.
Among women with higher lifetime alcohol consumption, the negative association with coffee was more pronounced.
The positive association with tea was stronger among women with obesity.
Also read: How drinking matcha can affect your blood sugar
The researchers also point out that certain compounds in tea may help promote the formation of bone tissue and limit its breakdown.
Laboratory studies have shown that caffeine can affect the body’s absorption of calcium and bone metabolism.
The difference between coffee and tea
Women who drank tea had slightly but measurably higher bone density at the hip than women who did not drink tea.
Moderate consumption of around two to three cups of coffee a day was not associated with harm to the bones.
Also read: How ADHD looks different in women, and why it takes years to get diagnosed
Women who drank more than five cups a day, however, had lower bone density.
According to Flinders University, calcium and vitamin D remain essential for healthy bones.
Also read: Microplastics turn up in nearly every human brain. Here is what the science actually says
This article is made and published by Ida-Marie Palm Varbæk, who may have used AI in the preparation.