High protein diet and regular intake of coffee or tea may reduce risk of hip fracture in women

According to a recent study an increase of 25 grams (g) of protein and an additional cup of coffee or tea per day, were associated with a reduced risk of hip fracture in women.

The study was published in the journal, Clinical Nutrition, and was led by James Webster, PhD, researcher at the School of Food Science and Nutrition at University of Leeds in Leeds, England. For the study, Webster and his colleagues set out to investigate the association between food and nutrient intakes and hip fracture risk for women.

The investigation was an observational study that involved 26,381 women from the UK Women’s Cohort Study, which recruited participants aged 35 to 69 between the years of 1995 and 1998. The original study surveyed participants on their diet with a 217-item food frequency questionnaire. Data regarding hip fracture cases among the cohort were identified through the participants’ Hospital Episode Statistics (HES). Researchers used cox regression models to estimate associations between standard portions of food and nutrient intakes and risk of hip fracture. The median follow-up time was 22.3 years.

Among the participants, 822 hip fractures were identified. When researchers adjusted their results for cofounders, the data suggested that every additional cup of coffee or tea drank each day was associated with a four percent reduced risk of hip fracture. The study also found that an increment of 25 g per day of dietary protein intake was linked to a 14 percent lower risk of hip fracture. In addition, the data showed that risk of hip fracture for underweight women was reduced dramatically, by 45 percent, when they ate an additional 25 g of protein per day.

These findings suggest that increasing intake of certain nutrients may play a role in hip fracture prevention, according to the study’s authors.

"The results highlight which aspects of diet may be useful tools in reducing hip fracture risk in women, with evidence of links between higher protein, tea and coffee intakes and a reduced risk,” said Webster.