Osteoporosis Coffee & Green Leafy Vegetables

broccoli My neighbor Mary was complaining she couldn't drink coffee anymore. When I asked why, she told me coffee contributed to osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is one of those medical conditions where bones become more fragile and break easily. Osteoporosis happens as we age. The bone loss is faster than the bone build up. This is why elderly people have a higher risk of broken hips.

Well the September issue of Harvard Women's Health Issues says coffee drinking, unless excessive, does not significantly increase the risk of osteoporosis. (And in the press release they use more than 4 cups a day as excessive.)

And the risk factors are:

Female gender (although osteoporosis is also common among men over the age of 70)
Sedentary lifestyle
Low intake of calcium and vitamin D
Smoking
Excessive alcohol intake
Taking a glucocorticoid (steroid) medication
Family history of osteoporosis
Prior low-impact fracture
Low body weight (especially if it leads to loss of menstrual periods)
An overactive thyroid (or taking too much thyroid medication)

Coffee's taken the bad guy role because coffee can affect the digestive system taking in calcium. This becomes a problem when a person drinks lots of coffee and not enough calcium.

So eat those green leafy vegetables, broccoli and all those things if you happen to be a coffee fan. It goes back to hearing your mother from days gone by, "Eat your vegetables."

I can't wait to tell Mary she's good to keep drinking her coffee. (Besides she makes a great cup of coffee when I visit.)

Not the usual grind,