A recent study found that caffeine consumption is not a risk factor for bone loss in women. The study, “Dietary Caffeine Intake and Bone Mass of Postmenopausal Women”, was conducted at the Pennsylvania State University’s Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The study’s objective was to determine the “effect of long-term habitual dietary caffeine intake on bone status in healthy postmenopausal women”. The study observed 138 postmenopausal Caucasian women aged 55-70.

The women were divided into three groups according to their caffeine intake from various sources, which was measured as equivalents to a cup of coffee: low (0-2 cups a day), moderate (3-4 cups a day) and high (5 or more cup a day). Unlike previous studies on caffeine and bone bass, in addition to calculating caffeine intake based on computer analysis of consumption diaries, gas chromatography was used on a sample of each subject’s brewed coffee beverage to ensure an accurate measure of intake.

The women chosen were healthy and were carefully screened so that factors known to affect bone health, such as smoking, alcohol intake, body weight, physical activity, calcium and nutrient intakes and hormone replacement therapy, could be controlled. The study measured the women’s bone density of the entire body including both hips. Densities were plotted against caffeine consumption. The correlation analysis concluded that caffeine consumption at any level is not associated with changes in bone mass.

To explore the possibility that caffeine might have an effect on individuals with lower daily calcium intakes, the sample was divided into thirds according to calcium consumption.

The results: at none of the calcium levels was there a correlation between caffeine intake and bone density change. Even adjusting for age, weight and activity level, the researchers said “caffeine intake was not associated with any bone mineral measurement”.