Habitual Tea Drinking and Bone Mineral Density in Postmenopausal Turkish Women: Investigation of Prevalence of Postmenopausal Osteoporosis in Turkey (IPPOT Study)

Aim: In this epidemiological report, we assessed the prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis (OP) in postmenopausal Turkish women and the relationship between body mass index (BMI), and some nutritional factors (habitual tea, coffee, tobacco, and milk product consumption) with OP. Methods: This multicenter study was done in postmenopausal women residing in five big cities, in four different regions of Turkey between August and November 2005. An inclusion criterion was being in the postmenopausal period for at least 12 months. A semi-structured questionnaire was completed by face-to-face interview, consisting of closed- and open-ended questions about demographic characteristics, nutritional status, and habits with two or more choices as possible responses. Bone mineral density (BMD) measurements were performed with a MetriScan® Densitometer (Alara Inc., Ca, USA). Results: Seven hundred twenty-four women were included in the study. The mean age was 57.6 ± 9.6 years, and mean age at natural menopause was 46.4 ± 5.6 years. Of the participants, 51% were illiterate. According to WHO classification; 42.5% were normal in terms of BMD, 27.2% had osteopenia, and 30.2% had OP. Women with high education levels had better T-scores (p = 0.019). Increase in BMI also had a positive effect on T-scores (p < 0.0001). A linear correlation was found between age (r= –0.386, p < 0.0001), BMI (r = –0.175, p < 0.0001), and education (r = –0.317, p < 0.0001), with T-scores. The T-scores of women who consumed tea on a regular basis were found to be higher than non-consumers (–1.51 ± 1.68 vs. –1.09 ± 1.66; p = 0.070) [when smokers, those who received hormonal therapy (HT), and those > 65 years were excluded]. Conclusion: OP was determined in 1/3 of the women. Advanced age (> 65) and being illiterate were negative factors, while high education levels, being overweight, and being treated with HT had a positive effects on BMD. Habitual tea drinking also may have a positive effect on BMD. However, tea drinking was not found to be a statistically significant factor in the present study.