July 11, 2011 -- Can drinking a steaming hot cup of coffee or
tea reduce the likelihood of having MRSA bacteria lurking inside
your nose? New research in the Annals of Family Medicine says
these beverages have antimicrobial properties and drinking hot
tea or coffee is associated with a lower risk of carrying MRSA
bacteria within the nasal passages. Nearly 2.5 million people
have evidence of MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus
aureus) inside their noses. In the study, people who drank hot
tea were 50% less likely to have MRSA in their nose, compared
with people who did not drink hot tea. The same held for people
who drank coffee vs. those who didn’t. Soft drinks and iced tea
had no significant effect on nasal MRSA risk. The more coffee or
tea participants drank, the lower their risk for MRSA, says
study author Eric Matheson, MD, an assistant professor of family
medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina in
Charleston. MRSA often causes illness when it comes into contact
with an open skin wound