A decade-long study of older women reveals something reassuring: your morning coffee habit is probably fine. But tea might have a slight edge when it comes to keeping bones strong.
Researchers followed women for 10 years, tracking their coffee and tea consumption alongside bone density measurements. The finding wasn't dramatic—it never is with nutrition science—but it was consistent. Women who drank tea showed modestly higher bone mineral density than non-tea drinkers, and that small difference could matter at a population level. "Even small improvements in bone density can translate into fewer fractures across large groups," says Enwu Liu, an adjunct associate professor at the College of Medicine and Public Health.
Here's where it gets interesting: moderate coffee consumption—about two to three cups a day—didn't harm bone health at all. The concern only emerged with heavier intake. Women drinking more than five cups daily showed lower bone mineral density. So if you're a two-cup-in-the-morning person, the research suggests you can relax.
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Start Your News DetoxThe chemistry behind the cup
Tea contains compounds called catechins that appear to promote bone formation and slow bone breakdown. Coffee's caffeine, by contrast, can interfere with calcium absorption in laboratory settings, though the effect is small enough that adding milk to your coffee largely cancels it out.
The relationship wasn't one-size-fits-all. Women with higher lifetime alcohol consumption experienced more pronounced negative effects from heavy coffee drinking, while tea seemed especially beneficial for women with obesity. This suggests that individual factors—what else you're drinking, your weight, your overall habits—shape how your body responds.
The researchers are careful not to overstate their findings. The differences they observed, while statistically significant, aren't large enough to justify overhauling your beverage routine. No one needs to swap their coffee for tea if they don't want to. But if you're looking for a simple habit to support bone health as you age, a daily cup of tea is a low-stakes option worth considering.
The study, published in Nutrients in 2025, followed women in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures over a decade—long enough to see real patterns emerge. What comes next is the harder question: whether these correlations translate into fewer actual fractures in real life.
