Excessive Coffee Consumption Weakens Bone Density in Elderly Women
A new Australian study has revealed that the relationship between coffee and tea consumption and bone health differs fundamentally among older women. Researchers at Flinders University found that excessive coffee intake is associated with reduced bone mineral density, whereas tea consumption was linked to a slight increase in hip bone density.
Published in the scientific journal Nutrients and based on data collected over a decade, the study followed nearly 10,000 women aged 65 and older for 10 years. The data were drawn from the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study (though the text refers to it as the "Fractures Caused by Osteoporosis Study"), aiming to identify any association between coffee and tea consumption habits and changes in bone mineral density, a key measure for assessing osteoporosis risk.
Osteoporosis is a major global health issue, affecting approximately one in three women over the age of 50 and causing millions of fractures annually. Given that billions of people consume coffee or tea daily, even a slight impact on bone health could have widespread population-level implications.
Researchers measured bone mineral density in the hip and femoral neck regions, areas closely linked to fracture risk, using advanced imaging techniques. Participants periodically reported their coffee and tea consumption habits throughout the follow-up period.
The study yielded divergent results for the two beverages, with key findings including:
• A decrease in bone mineral density among women who consumed more than five cups of coffee per day.
Co-researcher Ryan Liu emphasized that catechins, abundant in tea, may stimulate bone formation and slow bone breakdown, whereas caffeine in coffee can interfere with calcium absorption and bone metabolism, as shown in previous laboratory studies. He noted that these effects are limited and can be partially offset by adding milk to coffee.
Associate Professor Enuo Liu, from the university’s Faculty of Medicine and Public Health, pointed out that the effects also vary according to other health and lifestyle factors. Stronger negative effects associated with coffee were recorded among women with higher lifetime alcohol consumption, while the benefits of tea appeared more pronounced among women with obesity.
Researchers stressed that although the differences observed in the study were statistically significant, they remained modest in magnitude and do not warrant drastic changes to individuals’ daily habits. They emphasized that calcium and vitamin D remain the fundamental pillars of bone health, while drinking a cup of tea daily may serve as a simple additional step to support bone strength in older women as they age.
