Prior research has indicated that tea consumption is linked to better bone mineral density in postmenopausal women, however, few studies have investigated whether when the onset of tea consumption begins in relation to either pre- or post-menopause. However, a new observational study published in the journal Nature Communications suggests that women must begin drinking tea prior to menopause for significant differences to occur.
 
Utilizing data from 1,377 postmenopausal women under the age of 80 years, who were enrolled in the Lanxi Cohort Study, the authors of the study were able to categorize participants into tea consumption based on frequency, concentration, and type, with further analysis on whether the participants began drinking tea before or after menopause.
 
These results were then applied to evaluate associaitons between drinking tea before/after menopause, and the bone mineral density results of the women participating in the study.
 
After adjusting for confounding variables, women who began drinking tea before menopause had significantly higher total and regional bone mineral density than non-tea-drinking participants, as well as those who began drinking tea after the onset of menopause, with the most beneficial effect observed in those who drank tea four or more times per week. No benefit, significant or not, was observed in those who began drinking tea after menopause.
 
Interestingly, these differences were universal irrespective of the concentration and type of tea, the authors of the study said.