Drink more tea (and less coffee) after menopause

If you’ve been through the menopause, start drinking more tea—and cut back on the coffee.

Teas contain catechins, natural polyphenolic compounds that strengthen the bones as we age and reduce the risks of fracture and osteoporosis.

Women who drink plenty of tea every day have stronger bones, but bone health deteriorates in women who drink more than five cups of coffee a day.

Researchers at Flinders University in Australia tracked the bone health of nearly 10,000 women who were 65 years or older to discover whether tea or coffee had any impact on bone mineral density (BMD), which can deteriorate after menopause.  Osteoporosis affects one in three women over the age of 50, and this can result in easy fractures.

Regular tea drinkers had slightly improved BMD, but this wasn’t seen in those who drank a few cups of coffee—and it worsened in those who drank five or more cups of coffee, and bone loss was even more dramatic if the women were also drinking above-average quantities of alcohol.

But although tea had a small positive effect on bone health, taking vitamin D supplements is far more important, the researchers added.

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