Bone mineral density: the tea card
Osteoporosis, along with associated fractures, is one of the major health risks for postmenopausal women. Some studies estimate that more than half of women will suffer a fracture1 due to osteoporosis in the years following menopause.
Osteoporosis results in loss of bone mineral density (BMD) and qualitative deterioration of bone tissue.
However, according to several studies, the most popular beverage in the world, tea, has a positive effect on BMD. Its chemical components would help maintain a higher BMD level and reduce the risk of fractures1, especially in women.
The level of this positive effect varies but, for example, some studies speak of a BMD of the lumbar spine 10% higher in tea drinkers than in non-drinkers, and some of BMD of the femoral neck 14% higher among tea drinkers2.
But what kind of tea consumption are we talking about?
green tea, black tea, oolong?
A few studies1 find green tea to be more beneficial than others for BMD; but other studies have found that the type of tea does not make a difference3.
regular and longtime
Four or more times per week3, bearing in mind that there is a linear progression in BMD with the number of years of consumption4, and that starting to drink tea before entering menopause would be more effective than starting after menopause3.
moderate
One to five cups per day 4. It should be noted that excessive consumption (more than ten cups per day) not only would not provide any benefit for BMD, but would present serious health risks because of toxic concentrations of serum fluorides1.
Therefore, to make good old bones, each will do according to « her cup of tea »!
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1: source « Green Tea and Bone Metabolism » Chwan-Li Shen, James K. Yeh, Jay Cao, and Jia-Sheng Wang – Nutr Res. 2009 July ; 29(7): 437–456. doi:10.1016/j.nutres.2009.06.008
2: ibid. Table 1
3: source « Drinking tea before menopause is associated with higher bone mineral density in postmenopausal women » Saili Ni, Lu Wang, Guowei Wang, Jie Lin, Yiyun Ma, Xueyin Zhao, Yuan Ru, Weifang Zheng, Xiaohui Zhang, Shankuan Zhu – European Journal of Clinical Nutritionhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-021-00856-y
4: source « Oolong tea drinking boosts calcaneus bone mineral density in postmenopausal women: a population-based study in southern China ». Duan, P., Zhang, J., Chen, J. et al. – Arch Osteoporos 15, 49 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11657-020-00723-6
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