Coffee and tea are, once again, the center of a study which doesn’t have good news for women who drink more than five cups of coffee a day.
Research from Flinders University suggests coffee and tea may not have the same connection to bone health in older women.
Published in Nutrients, the 10-year study followed nearly 10,000 women who were at least 65.
Researchers looked at beverage habits and changes in bone mineral density (BMD), a measurement commonly used when assessing osteoporosis and fracture risk.
Tea and Bone Density
Researchers used information from the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures.
The women reported their coffee and tea intake, while researchers measured BMD at the hip and femoral neck (where thigh and hip meet).
Women who drank tea had slightly higher total hip BMD than women who did not drink tea.
The difference was modest but statistically significant.
High Coffee Intake and Bone Health
Coffee had a different pattern. Drinking two or three cups a day was not linked with poorer bone health.
However, women consuming more than five cups daily had lower BMD.
Other lifestyle factors appeared to influence the results. The negative association with coffee was stronger among women with greater lifetime alcohol consumption.
Meanwhile, the apparent tea benefit was stronger among women with obesity.
Tea contains catechins, compounds that may help support bone formation while slowing bone breakdown.
Caffeine and Calcium Absorption
Coffee’s caffeine may also play a role. Laboratory research has found that caffeine can interfere with calcium absorption and bone metabolism.
These effects are relatively small and may be reduced when coffee is consumed with milk.
The researchers stress that the study does not mean older women need to stop drinking coffee.
Moderate coffee intake appeared safe in the study, while very high consumption may be less favorable, particularly among women who drink alcohol.
Daily Tea May Offer a Small Benefit
The findings suggest that regular tea drinking could be an easy addition to a bone-friendly lifestyle later in life.
Still, the differences were modest, so the researchers do not recommend major changes based on these results alone.
Calcium and vitamin D remain central to maintaining healthy bones.
For older women, a daily cup of tea may provide more than a familiar routine.
The study suggests it could also be a small, simple part of supporting stronger bones.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified by the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness, where she was also a group fitness instructor, she trained clients of all ages and abilities for fat loss and maintaining it, muscle and strength building, fitness, and improved cardiovascular and overall health.