A decade-long study tracking nearly 10,000 older women suggests that everyday beverage choices may subtly influence bone health.
Researchers have investigated whether everyday drinks like coffee and tea could play a role in bone health among older women.
The study, published in the journal Nutrients, tracked almost 10,000 women aged 65 and older for ten years. The researchers examined whether regular coffee or tea consumption was associated with changes in bone mineral density (BMD), an important measure used to assess osteoporosis risk.
Osteoporosis remains a serious public health issue, affecting about one in three women over the age of 50 and leading to millions of fractures worldwide each year. Because coffee and tea are among the most widely consumed beverages globally, understanding how they may influence bone health has broad relevance. Previous research has produced inconsistent results, and long-term studies examining these links have been limited.
To address this gap, the Flinders University researchers analyzed data from the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures. Their analysis included repeated assessments of beverage intake alongside measurements of BMD at the hip and femoral neck, two regions closely linked to fracture risk.
Throughout the ten-year study period, participants regularly reported how much coffee and tea they drank. At the same time, researchers used advanced imaging methods to track changes in bone density over time.
