The drink that encourages bone growth and blocks bone loss

For the longest time, coffee was thought to be problematic — at least in terms of caffeine.

But unless you’re drinking til you’re shaking, or have a medical condition where you’ve been warned to avoid coffee, like chronic hypertension, you should feel good about enjoying the world’s most consumed beverage.

After all, there’s research-based evidence proving the many health benefits that come from drinking coffee, like:

• Drastically reducing the risk of cirrhosis
• Helping protect the brain from Parkinson’s disease and dementia.
• Lowering risk of stroke and heart failure.
• Preventing bone loss in the jaw, which helps keeps your teeth intact.

That last bullet really got my attention….

As a mature woman, my bone density is top of mind. I know all too well the threat of bone loss and the danger it poses not only to my independence but to my longevity as well. It’s a well-known fact that if a woman experiences a broken hip, her lifespan is cut drastically short.

That’s why I’m excited to share more encouraging news about a compound in coffee that not only guards against bone loss — but actually encourages bone growth…

Chlorogenic acid encourages bone growth and blocks bone destruction

In 2018, researchers in Taiwan found that drinking coffee was significantly associated with a lower risk of osteoporosis in men and premenopausal women.

So, what’s responsible for this phenomenon? The anti-inflammatory polyphenol known as chlorogenic acid (CGA).

A recent study from China Medical University in Taiwan has uncovered the mechanism by which CGA protects bones.

CGA is also a main component of an herb called du Zhong (Eucommia ulmoides Oliver), used in traditional Chinese medicine to improve kidney and bone health.

Using their knowledge of this herb and its benefits, researchers found that CGA can slow or even prevent osteoporosis in two different ways…

To quote the study authors:

Oxidative stress may enhance bone resorption and decrease bone formation by promoting osteoclastogenesis and suppressing osteogenesis. Plant-derived polyphenolic compounds exhibit antioxidant ability by scavenging free radicals, diminishing lipid peroxidation, and chelating metal ions. Thus, polyphenolic compounds are considered useful in preventing bone loss.

Here’s what that means in simple terms:

Oxidative stress, the result of free radicals, can cause your bones to deteriorate and keep them from regrowing.

Antioxidant compounds like CGA can go after those free radicals to inhibit osteoclastogenesis (the process that destroys bones).

At the same time, it encourages the production of osteoblasts (cells that build bone), which slows down as estrogen levels drop after menopause.

The herb du Zhong is available in powder form, but it would be helpful to seek out a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine to use it safely.

Instead, try a cup of coffee. CGA accounts for 5-10 percent of coffee beans, comparable to the amount of CGA in the herbal plant’s leaves.

However, the roasting of the beans affects how much CGA makes it into your cup. To get the most, choose a light roast. Dark roasts contain very little.

As far as types go, Ethiopian coffee was found in an analysis to have high levels of CGA, while Indian coffee contained the lowest levels.

Not a fan of coffee? Tea and berries, especially Aronia or chokeberries, are also great sources!

Need another reason to celebrate coffee? Find out why it’s also the drink that could keep cancer from coming back!

Sources:

Chlorogenic acid prevents ovariectomized-induced bone loss by facilitating osteoblast functions and suppressing osteoclast formation — Eureka Alert

Chlorogenic acid prevents ovariectomized-induced bone loss by facilitating osteoblast functions and suppressing osteoclast formation — Aging

Quantification of Caffeine and Chlorogenic Acid in Green and Roasted Coffee Samples Using HPLC-DAD and Evaluation of the Effect of Degree of Roasting on Their Levels — Journal Molecules

Does coffee drinking have beneficial effects on bone health of Taiwanese adults? A longitudinal study — BMC Public Health