Is Coffee Or Tea Better For Your Bone Health?

Caffeinated drinks like tea and coffee seem to have a lot more health benefits than you might realise. They’ve been linked to a longer life, less stress, and even improved heart health.

But, per a paper recently published in the journal Nutrients, one may be slightly better than the other for maintaining women’s bone health by reducing osteoporosis as they age.

The 10-year study, which followed nearly 10,000 women over 65, saw “modest” benefits for tea drinkers.

This research asked participants to share their drinking habits throughout the trial period. Researchers also measured their bone density over time using imaging techniques.

At the end of the study, the paper authors noticed that women who drank tea over coffee had slightly higher bone mineral density in their hips. That’s important, because this is a joint especially prone to fracture when osteoporosis kicks in, as it does for a third of women over 50.

The advantage was only small. But, study author and adjunct associate professor Enwu Liu told Flinders University, that “even small improvements in bone density can translate into fewer fractures across large groups”.

That doesn’t mean drinking coffee was catastrophic, either. Drinking two to three cups a day didn’t seem to harm bone health at all; issues only arose among those who drank more than five cups daily.

Coffee affected some participants more than it did others, too. Those who consumed more alcohol over the course of their lifetime tended to see worse results from coffee consumption.

And women with obesity tended to see more benefits from tea.

Study co-author Ryan Liu said that compounds in tea called catechins, which may help to boost bone formation and slow the rate at which they’re broken down, might explain the “modest” gap.

“Coffee’s caffeine content, by contrast, has been shown in laboratory studies to interfere with calcium absorption and bone metabolism,” Liu added.

The experts don’t seem to think so.

Negative effects kicked in at about coffee cup number five, and Ryan Liu said there’s a simple way to make your morning cuppa better for your bones – “these effects are small and can be offset by adding milk,” he said.

Enwu Liu added: “While moderate coffee drinking appears safe, very high consumption may not be ideal, especially for women who drink alcohol.

“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.”

He ended: “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.”