Background:

Although Asian people are known to have lower bone mass than that of Caucasians, little is known about coffee-associated bone health in Asian. This study aimed to assess the relationship between coffee consumption and bone mineral density (BMD) in Korean premenopausal women.

Methods:

Data were obtained from the Fourth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2008–2009. The study population consisted of 1,761 Korean premenopausal women (mean age 36 years) who were measured for lumbar spine and femoral neck BMD and who completed a standardized questionnaire about coffee intake frequency. We excluded the participants who took hormone replacement therapy or medication for osteoporosis. The cross-sectional relationship between coffee consumption and impaired bone health (osteopenia or osteoporosis) was investigated by bone densitometry.

Results:

Coffee consumption showed no significant association with BMD of either femoral neck or lumbar spine, independent of other factors. The adjusted odds ratios for BMD for those who consumed once in a day, twice a day and three times a day were 0.94 (0.70–1.26), 0.93 (0.67–1.28), and 1.02 (0.69–1.50), respectively (P for trend = 0.927).

Conclusion:

This study does not support the idea that coffee is a risk factor for impaired bone health in Korean premenopausal women.