By Bonnie Jenkins, Advanced Natural Wellness
A couple of weeks ago, I told you how drinking green tea can reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer – and maybe these were benefits you already knew about. But here’s something I’ll bet you didn’t know – tea can also keep your bones strong.
A new study shows that women over the age of 70 who drank tea had higher bone density in their hips and less bone loss than women who didn’t drink tea. And these benefits aren’t just limited to green tea.
Boning Up
In the study, Australian researchers questioned 275 women between the ages of 70 and 85 who were participating in a larger five–year study of calcium supplements and osteoporosis. The goal was to find out how much black and green tea (but not herbal teas) they drank and how that related to the health of their bones. Bone density measurements of the hip were also taken at the beginning and end of the five–year study.
The results, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, showed that women who were regular tea drinkers had higher bone mineral density in two sites in the hip compared with non–tea drinkers. Tea drinkers also had less loss of bone density over a four–year period compared with non–tea drinkers.
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Better than Calcium?
According to the researchers, other variables like the amount of dietary calcium, coffee intake, physical activity and smoking didn’t appear to be important confounders of the relation between tea and bone density. That means that tea, by itself, offers up beneficial effects on bone structure by reducing bone loss.
What is it about tea that makes it so special? There’s no definitive answer but previous studies have suggested that the phytochemicals in tea, such as flavonoids, may be responsible for the protective effect against bone loss due to their estrogen–like properties.
Brew Up Benefits
The only thing this study didn’t explore was the relationship between the number of cups of tea consumed per day and bone mineral density. But an earlier study did look at how much is enough – and for how long.
More than 1,000 Chinese men and women were questioned about consumption of green, black or oolong tea, in addition to other lifestyle characteristics. Measurements of bone mineral density of the total body, lower back and hip were also recorded. Those who consumed any kind of tea for 10 or more years had significantly higher bone mineral density in the total body, lower back and hip than did non-habitual tea drinkers. Drinking tea for six to 10 years increased bone density in the lower spine compared with the density in those who drank tea for less than 5 years or not at all.
Although the average person drank three and a half cups of tea per day, the researchers found that the duration of tea consumption was more important in increasing bone mineral density than the amount of daily tea intake.
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One Last Thing …
The protective effect of tea against bone loss is surprising, considering that other studies have shown that caffeine consumption is associated with increased bone loss. Evidently, any negative effect of the caffeine is more than overcome by the beneficial components of tea. Best of all, it doesn’t matter what type of tea you drink, whether it’s green, black or oolong tea.
All non-herbal teas come from the same plant – Camellia sinensis. The difference between black, oolong and green tea depends on how the plant is processed. Green tea is unfermented, while oolong tea is partially fermented and black tea is fully fermented. The amount of fermentation affects both the taste and color of the tea. It also affects the level of antioxidants in each variety – less processing means more antioxidants..
Trying to limit the amount of caffeine you consume? While all tea naturally contains caffeine, the amount in tea is approximately one-quarter of the amount found in regular coffee. The caffeine content of black tea is slightly higher than that of green tea, due to the way the tea is processed. So opt for green tea if you’re restricting caffeine.
This Just In …
Most of us know that our body-mass index (BMI) is closely related to our risk of heart disease. But now it seems that being overweight with a high BMI and that “spare tire” can also up your chances of developing colon cancer. At least that’s what Swedish researchers discovered when they analyzed 30 previous studies totaling more than five million people.
The studies measured BMI, waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio. It turns out that all three measurements were strong predictors of colon cancer risk in both men and women – although the relationship was stronger in men. A five-point rise in BMI boosted cancer risk 30 percent in men, but only 12 percent in women. And an extra four inches in waist size saw risk jump 33 percent in men, 16 percent in women.
While the researchers don’t know exactly why body fat – especially in the abdomen – is linked to colon cancer, they suspect it has to do with insulin resistance as well as compounds released by fat cells. Why do men have more risk than women? It could be that men have higher testosterone levels when they are overweight.
Regardless of the reason, if you’re overweight, eat smaller portions, fewer refined carbs and more fiber to lose those pounds and decrease insulin resistance. Increasing physical activity will also improve insulin sensitivity while aiding weight loss. And, if you’re over the age of 50, be sure to get a colonoscopy!
References:
Devine A, Hodgson JM, Dick IM, et al. “Tea drinking is associated with benefits on bone density in older women.” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2007; 86:1243–1247.
Larsson SC, Wolk A. “Obesity and colon and rectal cancer risk: a meta-analysis of prospective studies.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2007; 86:556-565.
Rapuri PB, Gallagher JC, Kinyamu HK, Ryschon KL. “Caffeine intake increases the rate of bone loss in elderly women and interacts with vitamin D receptor genotypes.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2001;74:694–700.
Wu C, Yang Y, Yao W, et al. “Epidemiological evidence of increased bone mineral density in habitual tea drinkers.” Archives of Internal Medicine. 2002;162:1001–1006
