1. < Osteoporosis & Bone Health

Caffeine's Role in Osteoporosis

Posted by beanieone @beanieone, Jul 21 12:58pm

Hi All,

Still finding things to ask about . . .

In researching OP testing both recently and in the past, I note that caffeine may play a role in OP. Unfortunately, no doc has ever asked me about my coffee/caffeine consumption throughout my life. When I was working, it was nothing for me to down an entire pot of coffee in the morning, and then go for another cup or two in the evening; I still drink about four cups daily.

Some studies suggest that caffeine does not weaken bones. A Mayo Clinic study suggests that overindulgence of caffeine "predisposes one to cortical bone loss from the proximal (upper end of the) femur". Knowing one possible adverse reaction to Reclast is unusual femur fractures, does it stand to reason that perhaps that should be a topic of discussion? Is it possible that those of us who like our morning cuppa Joe are actually putting ourselves at risk for femur fracture?

Just wanted to run this one by our group. Thanks for all who listen to the ramblings. Cheers!

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Osteoporosis & Bone Health Support Group.

samclembeau | @samclembeau | Jul 21 4:45pm

I like the way you think. We learn so much from each other that it would be interesting to peruse this to see if there is a connection.

REPLY
beanieone | @beanieone | Jul 21 5:55pm

Hi @samclembeau

I’ll be doing some checking in the next little while. I wouldn’t even give it another thought, except I’ve had LOTS of caffeine in my life for a long time. Most of my excessive coffee drinking was in my early- to mid-40’s. My OP was diagnosed when I was in my early 50’s right around the time of menopause. I can’t draw any conclusions, except there is really no reason I should have OP based on the criteria of “likely causes”.

Cheers!

REPLY
madhub140 | @madhub140 | Jul 22 8:04am

Caffeine:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/caffeine-and-
osteoporosishttps://www.verywellhealth.com/caffeine-and-osteoporosis-

6829369https://www.unisa.edu.au/media-centre/Releases/2021/caffeine-cuts-close-to-the-bon--when-it-comes-to-osteoporosis#

From WebMD:Osteoporosis diet danger 3: the cost of caffeine:

Caffeine leaches calcium from bones, sapping their strength. For every cup of coffee you drink, you may lose about 4 milligrams of calcium.

That's not as much of a loss as from salt, but it's still worrisome. Caffeine is a particular problem for those who don’t get enough calcium each day to begin with.

The good news is that adding a 1-2 tablespoons of milk to your coffee probably offsets any calcium losses that caffeine causes.

Coffee is a major caffeine source. For example, a 16-ounce cup of coffee can provide 192 milligrams of caffeine. High-caffeine sodas can contain up to 33 milligrams per can or more.

Although tea also contains caffeine, studies suggest it doesn't harm, and probably helps, bone density in older women, regardless of whether they add milk to the beverage. Researchers think that tea has plant compounds that help protect your bones.

REPLY
1 reply
beanieone | @beanieone | Jul 22 8:25am
In reply to @madhub140 "Caffeine: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/caffeine-and- osteoporosishttps://www.verywellhealth.com/caffeine-and-osteoporosis- 6829369https://www.unisa.edu.au/media-centre/Releases/2021/caffeine-cuts-close-to-the-bon--when-it-comes-to-osteoporosis# From WebMD:Osteoporosis diet danger 3: the cost of caffeine: Caffeine leaches calcium..." + (show)
@madhub140

Caffeine:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/caffeine-and-
osteoporosishttps://www.verywellhealth.com/caffeine-and-osteoporosis-

6829369https://www.unisa.edu.au/media-centre/Releases/2021/caffeine-cuts-close-to-the-bon--when-it-comes-to-osteoporosis#

From WebMD:Osteoporosis diet danger 3: the cost of caffeine:

Caffeine leaches calcium from bones, sapping their strength. For every cup of coffee you drink, you may lose about 4 milligrams of calcium.

That's not as much of a loss as from salt, but it's still worrisome. Caffeine is a particular problem for those who don’t get enough calcium each day to begin with.

The good news is that adding a 1-2 tablespoons of milk to your coffee probably offsets any calcium losses that caffeine causes.

Coffee is a major caffeine source. For example, a 16-ounce cup of coffee can provide 192 milligrams of caffeine. High-caffeine sodas can contain up to 33 milligrams per can or more.

Although tea also contains caffeine, studies suggest it doesn't harm, and probably helps, bone density in older women, regardless of whether they add milk to the beverage. Researchers think that tea has plant compounds that help protect your bones.

Jump to this post

Yikes, @madhub140! Looks like my coffee-drinking days are numbered…over! No worries tho’, I’ve already begun to switch to tea in part because coffee and milk don’t mix for me. And tea has some delicious flavors. Good, too, that tea can actually provide some benefits to our bones. Give my taste buds and body (headaches) a week to adjust and they’ll be saying, “Coffee, what’s that awful stuff!?” 😋.

Seriously, thank you for your post; this sheds light on a subject that hasn’t been discussed with me by any health professional in the 15 or so years since I was diagnosed with OP.

Have a great week! Cheers!

REPLY
3 replies
ppat4pr | @ppat4pr | Jul 22 8:32am
In reply to @beanieone "Yikes, @madhub140! Looks like my coffee-drinking days are numbered…over! No worries tho’, I’ve already begun to..." + (show)
@beanieone

Yikes, @madhub140! Looks like my coffee-drinking days are numbered…over! No worries tho’, I’ve already begun to switch to tea in part because coffee and milk don’t mix for me. And tea has some delicious flavors. Good, too, that tea can actually provide some benefits to our bones. Give my taste buds and body (headaches) a week to adjust and they’ll be saying, “Coffee, what’s that awful stuff!?” 😋.

Seriously, thank you for your post; this sheds light on a subject that hasn’t been discussed with me by any health professional in the 15 or so years since I was diagnosed with OP.

Have a great week! Cheers!

Jump to this post

I bought parsley tea from Amazon and it is delicious. I have to drink 64 ounces of water daily so I also brew it & then put in fridge because I also like it chilled.

REPLY
madhub140 | @madhub140 | Jul 22 9:51am
In reply to @beanieone "Yikes, @madhub140! Looks like my coffee-drinking days are numbered…over! No worries tho’, I’ve already begun to..." + (show)
@beanieone

Yikes, @madhub140! Looks like my coffee-drinking days are numbered…over! No worries tho’, I’ve already begun to switch to tea in part because coffee and milk don’t mix for me. And tea has some delicious flavors. Good, too, that tea can actually provide some benefits to our bones. Give my taste buds and body (headaches) a week to adjust and they’ll be saying, “Coffee, what’s that awful stuff!?” 😋.

Seriously, thank you for your post; this sheds light on a subject that hasn’t been discussed with me by any health professional in the 15 or so years since I was diagnosed with OP.

Have a great week! Cheers!

Jump to this post

You're braver than I re saying no to coffee. I'm now down to one cup in the morning with half decaf and half organic caff. ( Also, Barbara O'Neil swears by comfrey tea building bones.) I do put cream in it, but not to give me more calcium. I'm following Dr Susan Brown (brilliant woman!) and her osteoporosis regimen and taking the Alea Cal protocol which guarantees bone growth within six months. I refuse to take the meds the docs recommend to their chagrin. Took fosamax for some years and am not willing to pay the price my friends have in using it. But everyone must follow their own wisdom re the meds. I simply know too much at this point to allow them in my life.

REPLY
3 replies
beanieone | @beanieone | Jul 22 10:22am
In reply to @madhub140 "You're braver than I re saying no to coffee. I'm now down to one cup in..." + (show)
@madhub140

You're braver than I re saying no to coffee. I'm now down to one cup in the morning with half decaf and half organic caff. ( Also, Barbara O'Neil swears by comfrey tea building bones.) I do put cream in it, but not to give me more calcium. I'm following Dr Susan Brown (brilliant woman!) and her osteoporosis regimen and taking the Alea Cal protocol which guarantees bone growth within six months. I refuse to take the meds the docs recommend to their chagrin. Took fosamax for some years and am not willing to pay the price my friends have in using it. But everyone must follow their own wisdom re the meds. I simply know too much at this point to allow them in my life.

Jump to this post

@madhub140, I’ve given up coffee in the past, only to start drinking it again and decaf, ooooh, can’t do that! I def need to look further into the benefits of tea. My younger sister has always had a thin frame and would be a perfect candidate for OP, but at 65, she has t-scores something like -1.0 in spine and -1.2 in hip and . . . she is a lifelong tea drinker. I don’t know if there’s any correlation, but, hit me over the head with research and evidence and I’ll take notice.

I understand your mistrust of OP meds. No one knows what problems these treatments might cause in 20 or 30 years. I like the idea of natural (AlgaeCal) remedies, but how do you monitor bone density increase when docs aren’t really interested in DEXA’s or other testing more than every two years. Hooray to you for being your own advocate!

My doc recommended the Bone Health & Osteoporosis Foundation as a resource. Prior to taking meds, I tried to find this type of organization, but had no idea I should be looking for BHOF instead of something like National Association of OP. Anyway, lots of good info on the site. Gotta stop rambling now and go have a cup of tea!

Thanks for weighing in on this subject! Cheers!

REPLY
2 replies
madhub140 | @madhub140 | Jul 22 10:44am
In reply to @beanieone "@madhub140, I’ve given up coffee in the past, only to start drinking it again and decaf,..." + (show)
@beanieone

@madhub140, I’ve given up coffee in the past, only to start drinking it again and decaf, ooooh, can’t do that! I def need to look further into the benefits of tea. My younger sister has always had a thin frame and would be a perfect candidate for OP, but at 65, she has t-scores something like -1.0 in spine and -1.2 in hip and . . . she is a lifelong tea drinker. I don’t know if there’s any correlation, but, hit me over the head with research and evidence and I’ll take notice.

I understand your mistrust of OP meds. No one knows what problems these treatments might cause in 20 or 30 years. I like the idea of natural (AlgaeCal) remedies, but how do you monitor bone density increase when docs aren’t really interested in DEXA’s or other testing more than every two years. Hooray to you for being your own advocate!

My doc recommended the Bone Health & Osteoporosis Foundation as a resource. Prior to taking meds, I tried to find this type of organization, but had no idea I should be looking for BHOF instead of something like National Association of OP. Anyway, lots of good info on the site. Gotta stop rambling now and go have a cup of tea!

Thanks for weighing in on this subject! Cheers!

Jump to this post

Check out Dr Susan Brown's bio. She recommends numerous tests beyond a simple DEXA:
https://www.betterbones.com/about/

REPLY
loriesco | @loriesco | Jul 23 12:34pm

Here's a decently good article. May only be a problem if you don't have enough calcium/D in your diet.
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/caffeine-and-osteoporosis

REPLY
beanieone | @beanieone | Jul 23 4:37pm

Hi @loriesco

Very informative. Oddly enough, when I was pregnant I couldn’t drink a drop of coffee - the smell made me nauseous - should’ve read the proverbial tea leaves then 😉. My plan is to switch to tea very soon. I can’t honestly say I’ve had sufficient calcium or Vitamin D in past years.

Thanks for the read! Cheers!

REPLY
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