Is there a link between tea, coffee and MRSA?

NEW YORK:

People who regularly drink tea or coffee may be less likely to be carriers of the superbug methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) – a bacterial infection that is highly resistant to some antibiotics, according to a US study.

Out of more than 5,500 Americans who took part in a government study published in the Annals of Family Medicine, those who drank hot tea or coffee were about half as likely as non-drinkers to harbour MRSA in their nostrils. “Hot tea and coffee have been found to have antimicrobial properties,” wrote lead researcher Eric Matheson. “Consumption of hot tea or coffee is associated with a lower likelihood of MRSA nasal carriage.”

The idea for the study came from the fact that topically applied or inhaled tea extracts have shown some anti-MRSA activity, said Matheson.

Less research has been done on coffee compounds, but there is some evidence of antibacterial powers there as well. Matheson’s team found that, indeed, tea and coffee drinkers were less likely to carry MRSA. “Our findings raise the possibility of a promising new method to decrease MRSA nasal carriage that is safe, inexpensive, and easily accessible,” Matheson wrote.

However, the big caveat is that the link does not prove that tea or coffee are the reason for the lower risk, clarified Matheson. “The study shows an association between the two but you never can conclude causation from an association,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 16^th, 2011.