Posted on 12/13/2025 1:14:46 PM PST by nickcarraway
A decade-long study of older women found that tea drinkers had slightly stronger bones, while moderate coffee drinking caused no harm. Heavy coffee intake—over five cups a day—was linked to lower bone density, especially in women who consumed more alcohol. Tea’s benefits may stem from catechins that support bone formation. The researchers say small daily habits could make a meaningful difference over time. Share:
FULL STORY Tea May Strengthen Bones in Older Women Tea showed a gentle positive effect on bone strength, while excessive coffee appeared to weaken it. Moderate coffee is fine, but a daily cup of tea may provide an extra edge for aging bones. Credit: Shutterstock
A recent investigation from Flinders University sheds new light on how two widely consumed drinks, coffee and tea, could play a role in bone health for women later in life.
The study, published in the journal Nutrients, monitored nearly 10,000 women aged 65 and older for ten years to examine whether regularly drinking coffee or tea was connected to changes in bone mineral density (BMD). BMD is a central marker used to assess osteoporosis risk.
Osteoporosis affects one in three women over 50 and leads to millions of fractures every year, making bone health an important global issue. Because coffee and tea are part of daily routines for billions of people, researchers note that understanding their long-term effects on bones is essential. Previous findings have often been inconsistent, and few studies have followed such a large group across an entire decade.
Study Design and Long-Term Tracking
Researchers at Flinders University used information from the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures, drawing on repeated measures of beverage intake and BMD at the hip and femoral neck. These areas are closely tied to fracture risk.
Throughout the ten-year period, participants regularly reported how much coffee
(Excerpt) Read more at sciencedaily.com ...
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Well I better identify as a trans woman and start drinking tea. Will that work?
If you replace your coffee with tea you can reduce by 58% what little joy you have left in life.
Paid for by the Tea Lobby.
I often "replace" my regular coffee with several Irish Coffees. Joy quotient increase is, well, pretty darn good!
Meanwhile, during this wonderful Christmas season, I just love the eggnog with a healthy dose of Bushmills.
And, of course, I cannot sign off without the reminder that alcohol kills brain cells, but only the weak ones.
Next week it’ll be just the opposite. 🙄
Can’t read too much into this. It’s the old correlation does not necessarily imply causation. What if the heavy coffee drinkers are heavy coffee drinkers because of a high level of stress in their lives.
My addition of full on dairy natural cream makes up for the calcium loss. I love a little coffee with my cream.
I heard if they drink enough, Paddy’s Irish Rose, they won’t care.
Health nut here. My organic half-caf gets a generous splash of organic Grass Milk. Plus half a tiny package of Sweet Leaf Stevia. No sugar shall ever touch my teeth.
Caffeine strips the body of nutrients, along with water, so a large intake like 5 cups should not be surprising as causing loss of calcium.
I don’t think they were accounting what kind of water was being used.
Tap water contains more calcium than some filtered waters. Some city water sanitation systems vary on mineral content as well.
What about men?
I drink a lot of tea (unsweetened) every day, but don’t drink coffee.
I’m so confused! Yesterday, coffee was very good for you. Today, it will eat your bones. What to do, what to do?
Personally, tea never bothers my stomach, but coffee stimulates acid production in my stomach which can lead to ulcers. 30-45 minutes after drinking full cup of coffee on an empty stomach I can feel the acid induced discomfort.
Haha my coffee is 1/3 cup half and half with 3 teaspoons of sugar and 1/3 cup of coffee brewed in a coffee maker. I like to add a bit of powdered cinnamon to counteract the sugar.
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