Coffee Consumption Might Reduce the Risk of Osteopenia/Osteoporosis in Premenopausal Taiwanese Women

The health impact of osteoporosis on individuals and the population at large is huge and its effect on national economies is negative. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between coffee consumption and osteopenia/osteoporosis in premenopausal and postmenopausal women in Taiwan. Data of 2929 women who completed a questionnaire about their weekly coffee consumption and bone health were retrieved from the Li-Shin Hospital (2006-2011). Coffee consumption was classified into 0, 1-4 and 5-7 cups per week (1 cup was equivalent to 400 mL). Osteoporosis and osteopenia were defined using bone mineral densities measured by quantitative ultrasound (QUS). Multiple logistic regression was used to determine the association between coffee drinking and osteopenia/osteoporosis. After exclusions were made, a total of 2533 participants were included in the final analysis. Adjusted confounders included age, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), anti-Hepatitis C virus (HCV), waist-hip ratio (WHR), body mass index (BMI), smoking, alcohol, tea, exercise, vegetarian diet, supplements, yogurt, education, and blood type. There were 1336 premenopausal and 1593 postmenopausal women at baseline. Among the premenopausal women, an increase in the weekly coffee consumption significantly decreased the odds for osteoporosis (P-trend = 0.0179). The consumption of 1-4 and 5-7 cups of coffee per week significantly reduced the risk of osteoporosis/osteopenia (OR = 0.677; 95% C.I. = 0.469-0.978) and (OR = 0.607; 95% C.I. = 0.400-0.923), respectively. Among postmenopausal women, however, there was no significant relationship between weekly coffee consumption and osteoporosis/osteopenia. It was concluded that coffee drinking might likely minimize the risk of osteoporosis/osteopenia in premenopausal Taiwanese women.