In a world where most mornings start with a hot cup of coffee or tea, scientists are examining whether these popular drinks have benefits beyond just waking us up. A new study from Flinders University suggests that they may, providing new insight into how our daily cups could affect bone health in older women.
Osteoporosis is a silent global problem. It affects one in three women over 50 and results in millions of fractures each year. With billions of people drinking coffee or tea every day, researchers think we need to understand if these habits are good or bad for our bones. So far, the evidence has been inconsistent, and few studies have tracked women long enough to detect clear patterns.
To fill that gap, the Flinders University team turned to the long‑running Study of Osteoporotic Fractures. They analysed repeated measures of beverage intake and bone mineral density (BMD) at the hip and femoral neck, two areas where bone loss can have devastating consequences.
Published in Nutrients, the research tracked nearly 10,000 women aged 65 and older for a full decade. Participants regularly reported how much coffee and tea they drank, while scientists monitored their bone density using advanced imaging tools.
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What emerged was a tale of two beverages: Tea drinkers, the study found, had slightly higher total hip BMD than women who didn’t drink tea. The difference wasn’t dramatic, but it was statistically significant, and at a population level, even small shifts matter.
“Even small improvements in bone density can translate into fewer fractures across large groups,” says Adjunct Associate Professor Enwu Liu from the College of Medicine and Public Health.
Coffee, meanwhile, proved more complicated. Moderate consumption, roughly two to three cups a day, didn’t appear to harm bone health. But once intake exceeded 5 cups daily, researchers observed a link to lower BMD, suggesting that too much caffeine may tip the balance in the wrong direction.
The effects weren’t uniform across all women. Those with higher lifetime alcohol consumption seemed more vulnerable to coffee’s downsides, while tea offered particular benefits for women with obesity.
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Co‑author Ryan Liu points to the biological basis of the findings. Tea is rich in catechins, compounds known to support bone formation and slow bone breakdown.
“Coffee’s caffeine content, by contrast, has been shown in laboratory studies to interfere with calcium absorption and bone metabolism, though these effects are small and can be offset by adding milk,” says Ryan Liu from Flinders University.
Adjunct Associate Professor Enwu Liu says the results highlight a simple, everyday opportunity to support bone health.
“While moderate coffee drinking appears safe, very high consumption may not be ideal, especially for women who drink alcohol,” he says.
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Still, the researchers are careful not to overstate the findings.
“Our results don’t mean you need to give up coffee or start drinking tea by the gallon,” says Associate Professor Liu.
Instead, they suggest a gentle shift in perspective:
“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.”
“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,” he concludes.
As researchers examine the daily factors that influence healthy aging, this study reminds us that meaningful change can start with the smallest habits, even those we practice each morning.
Journal Reference:
- Ryan Yan Liu and Enwu Liu. Longitudinal Association of Coffee and Tea Consumption with Bone Mineral Density in Older Women: A 10-Year Repeated-Measures Analysis in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures. Nutrients. DOI: 10.3390/nu17233660
