Coffee May Reduce Hip Fractures in Women, Says New Study

Drinking coffee may reduce hip fractures in middle-aged and older women, according to a large new observational study in the UK.

The coffee-fueled dip in hip fracture incidence among the 26,000+ women studied was described by the authors as a surprise.

“This is an interesting finding given that tea and coffee are the UK’s favourite drinks,” University of Leeds Professor and research supervisor Janet Cade said in an announcement of the findings. “We still need to know more about how these drinks could affect bone health but it might be through promoting the amount of calcium present in our bones.”

Data for the study came from the UK Women’s Cohort Study, which recruited 26,318 participants between 1995 and 1998. At the time they entered the study, the women ranged between 35 and 69 years of age. In follow-ups, more than 800 hip fractures were recorded, while participating women self-reported dietary intakes.

Each additional cup of coffee or tea among all the women was associated with a 4% decreased risk in hip fracture during the study period. Additionally, consuming 25 more grams of protein per day was associated with a 14% decrease in hip fracture incidence.

“Diet is a factor that people can modify to protect themselves by maintaining healthy bones and muscles,” James Webster, a doctoral researcher in the School of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Leeds, said. “This study is one of the first to investigate relationships between food and nutrient intakes and risk of hip fracture, with hip fractures accurately identified through hospital records.”

The open-access study was published last month in the journal Clinical Nutrition. Find it here: “Foods, nutrients and hip fracture risk: A prospective study of middle-aged women.”

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