Five Cups a Day Might Be Too Many for Your Bones

A Bone To Pick: Coffee, now linked to lower risk of heart disease and sharper memory, has had an amazing run in the health headlines recently. But a new study has ended that streak. Researchers in Australia tracked nearly 10,000 women aged 65 and older for a decade, following how their coffee and tea habits affected bone density, and the results weren’t great for Team Coffee.

The Study: The team used data from a long-running fracture study. Two to three daily cups of coffee showed no drop in bone density, but more than five cups did; those women had lower bone density than moderate coffee drinkers. Tea drinkers had slightly higher hip bone density, credited to compounds called catechins that may help support bone health.

The Takeaway: The American Heart Association recently raised its coffee allmotment to up to five cups a day for your heart. Your bones, however, may have a lower ceiling, so two or three cups may be safer long term.

Keep in Mind: Adding milk to your coffee may help offset some of the effect caffeine has on calcium absorption.