Tea Flavonoids for Bone Health: From Animals to Humans

Abstract

Osteoporosis is a skeletal disease characterized by a deterioration of bone mass and bone quality that predisposes an individual to a higher risk of fragility fractures. Emerging evidence has shown that the risk for low bone mass and osteoporosis-related fractures can be reduced by nutritional approaches aiming to improve bone microstructure, bone mineral density, and strength. Tea and its flavonoids, especially those of black tea and green tea, have been suggested to protect against bone loss and to reduce risk of fracture, due to tea's antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Based on the results of animal studies, moderate intake of tea has shown to benefit bone health as shown by mitigation of bone loss and microstructural deterioration as well as improvement of bone strength and quality. Epidemiological studies have reported positive, insignificant, and negative impacts on bone mineral density at multiple skeletal sites and risk of fracture in humans with habitual tea consumption. There are limited human clinical trials that objectively and quantitatively assessed tea consumption and bone efficacy using validated outcome measures in a population at high risk for osteoporosis, along with safety monitoring approach. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge of laboratory animal research, epidemiological observational studies, and clinical trials assessing the skeletal effects of tea and its active flavonoids, along with discussion of relevant future directions in translational research.

Therapeutic Potential of Flavonoids in Pain and Inflammation: Mechanisms of Action, Pre-Clinical and Clinical Data, and Pharmaceutical Development

“…Furthermore, in a double-blind controlled study, type 2 diabetes patients had improvements in obesity and glucose levels after 582.8 mg or 96.3 mg consumption of catechins for 12 weeks [235]. Bone health improvements and Alzheimer's disease prevention by catechins in pre-clinical and clinical studies were summarized somewhere else [236,237].…”

Updated association of tea consumption and bone mineral density

“…[44,45] EGCG has been widely studied. Its beneficial effects on bone formation are mainly through increasing alkaline phosphatase activity at both the protein and gene expression levels in osteoblastic-like cells, including SaOS-2 cells [46] and MC3T3-E1 cells, and increased formation of mineralized bone.…”

The Use of Vitamins and Minerals in Skeletal Health: American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and the American College of Endocrinology Position Statement

“…Isoflavones are "natural" or "phytoestrogens" (e.g., bioactive compounds that bind to the estrogen receptor) found in various plants and foods, most notably soybeans. Tea flavonoids have been suggested to protect against bone loss, but epidemiologic studies have shown mixed results of habitual tea consumption on BMD and fracture risk, and the results from clinical trials are limited (94). There has been increasing interest in whether isoflavones can promote bone health and ameliorate bone loss (95), but studies are conflicting regarding a positive BMD effect (96).…”