Tea Drinking May Strengthen Bones

CHICAGO -- Drinking tea for a long time may be good for your bones.

In a Taiwanese study of 497 Chinese men and 540 Chinese women over 30 years old, people who consumed tea regularly for more than 10 years had 6 percent higher overall bone-mineral density than people who don't regularly drink tea.

The benefits occurred in people who drank an average of nearly two cups daily of black, green or oolong tea for at least six years.

The findings, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, are significant because some estimates suggest that nearly half of Americans age 50 and older have osteoporosis or low bone mass, which can lead to fractures.

Although past studies have been conducted that provided similar results, the researchers say they had several shortcomings because they studied only white subjects who drank black tea and most of the studies were comprised of only female subjects.

Tea contains fluoride and chemical compounds known as flavenoids that include estrogen-like plant derivatives -- both of which may enhance bone strength.

According to the article, after water, tea is the most common drink consumed regularly by most adults in the world.