There's Something to Be Said for Having 'Tea Bones' April 13,
2000 (Atlanta) -- Ladies, start your teapots! A new study from
England shows that tea may build and strengthen bones --
protecting women against osteoporosis. If milk is added to the
tea, the benefit is boosted even Although several studies have
cited caffeine intake a risk factor for osteoporosis and hip
fracture in women, at least two European studies have reported
that tea drinking protected against hip breaks. The current
study shows that "the magnitude of the effects of drinking tea
was notable," writes lead author Verona M. Hegarty, PhD, a
gerontology researcher at England's University of Cambridge
School of Medicine. Older women who drank tea had higher bone
mineral density measurements, an indicator of bone health, than
those who did not drink tea. "Nutrients found in tea ... [may]
protect against osteoporosis in older women," concludes Hegarty.
Her study, which involved over 1,200 women living in Cambridge,
is published in this month's iss