Whether they are drinking it with milk or without, older women can see the benefits of drinking black tea through stronger bones.
Female doctor examining a pelvis x ray
A study was conducted of 1,188 women in Australia looking at tea consumption and its correlation to bone health. In the Calcium Intake Fracture Outcome Study, women who were drinking three or more cups of tea a day had two-thirds the risk of a fracture related to osteoporosis. Their risk of a hip fracture was more than 40% lower than women who didn’t drink tea or drank it only occasionally. The sample group was approximately 75 years old.
The information was presented at the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research 2015 Annual Meeting by Dr. Richard L. Prince of the University of Western Australia and his team.
The data was collected by a questionnaire about what the participants eat and drink. The researchers then used this information to calculate their flavonoid consumption. For this group, 75% of their flavonoids were taken in through tea drinking. The women were then tracked for ten years.
Prince cautions that causation has not been proven and further research will be needed on the mechanism for this perceived improved status. It is also worth noting that there was not a significant difference in outcome between the women who drank one cup a week and those that drank one to three cups a day. The effect was only seen in those drinking more than three cups daily.
SOURCE: WebMD and American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
