Coffee Might Be Good For Your Bones, So Keep On Sippin'

It's conventional wisdom that milk helps keep your bones strong, but maybe there's something to be said for the coffee that's paired with it. A new study out of the University of Hong Kong has found that regular coffee consumption might be linked to greater bone density and, consequently, a lower risk of osteoporosis.

According to Insider, the study analyzed Chinese adults' bone density and identified three different molecules connected to both higher coffee consumption and strong, mineral-dense bones. The study used a small sample size—564 subjects—and required subjects to self-report the amount of coffee they drank, which tends to be imprecise data. It's therefore not the most conclusive set of results, but to date, it's the most conclusive study linking coffee to this kind of health benefit. "For all those folks who drink lots of coffee and are concerned about the health effects of coffee, this is good news," said Dr. Chad Deal, a doctor who was not involved in the study, in a press release.

Insider notes that this is one more argument in coffee's favor, following a 2017 review of 200 different studies of coffee consumption "concluding that people who drink three or four cups a day may be 19% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease." Consider this the green light to pour yourself another cup. But maybe stop short of 25 in one day.