It doesn’t matter if it’s green or black. Years of moderate tea drinking builds strong bones, according to a new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

What makes tea drinking so good for bones? Researchers offer several explanations:

- Tea is an important source of fluoride. Fluoride can slow osteoporosis.

- Tea is rich in flavonoids, antioxidant compounds that improve bone density.

- Animal studies show that tea extracts slow bone loss.

- Tea may change the way the body uses other minerals that influence bone density.

Green tea drinkers may have an edge in fighting the sniffles and runny eyes of allergy season. Researchers say they’ve found an ingredient in green tea that stops a key process in producing an allergic response and the symptoms that follow. This study was published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry.

Green tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world, second only to water. It’s been studied for years, and research has linked green tea consumption to helping fight cancer, heart disease, arthritis and tooth decay.