Regular tea and coffee drinking is associated with a lower risk of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, the journal Annals of Family Medicine reads.
Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a drug-resistant strain of bacteria that causes nosocomial infections. It can cause, among others bloodstream infections and acute pneumonia. About 1 percent of the population lives with Staphylococcus aureus in the nostrils or on the skin without being ill.
– Earlier research suggested that tea extract counteracts this bacterium. Less is known about the effects of coffee, but there is some evidence that it also has antibacterial properties, says Dr. Eric Matheson of the University of South Carolina.
Scientists confirmed their suspicions during an analysis conducted among over 5,5 thousand. Americans. They found that frequent hot tea or coffee drinkers were half as likely to have MRSA as compared to those who avoided these drinks.
Data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that the number of nosocomial MRSA infections has decreased in recent years, but no downward trend has been observed in the general population since the 90s (PAP).