<p>The government study, in which over 5,500 people took part, found that tea or coffee drinkers were about half as likely as non-drinkers to contract methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in their nostrils.<br /><br />MRSA is a pathogen which is highly resistant to some antibiotics and causes thousands of deaths worldwide every year, the Daily Mail reported.<br /><br />Study author Eric Matheson, of the University of South Carolina said: "Consumption of hot tea or coffee is associated with a lower likelihood of MRSA nasal carriage."<br />"Our findings raise the possibility of a promising new method to decrease MRSA nasal carriage that is safe, inexpensive, and easily accessible."<br /><br />The idea for the study came from the fact that, in both the lab dish and in humans, topically applied or inhaled tea extracts have shown some anti-MRSA activity, he said.<br />Less research has been done on coffee compounds, but there is some evidence of antibacterial powers there as well.<br /><br />The researchers, who detailed their findings in the journal Annals of Family Medicine, said about 1.4 per cent of the study group harboured the bacteria in their noses.<br />But the odds were about 50 per cent lower among people who said they drank hot tea or coffee, versus non-drinkers.<br /><br />The big caveat, though, is that the link does not prove that tea or coffee are the reason for the lower risk, Matheson said.<br /><br />The study shows an association between the two, "but you never can conclude causation from an association. I can't tell you that this finding isn't just a coincidence," he said. The researchers tried to account for several other factors, such as age, income or self-rated health, but the beverages were still linked to lower odds of being a MRSA carrier.<br /><br />One issue is that even if coffee and tea drinkers do have a lower risk of carrying MRSA, whether that makes them less likely to actually fall ill is unknown.<br /><br />Matheson said there is also still debate about whether MRSA carriers are at increased risk of developing an active infection.<br /><br />For now, the researchers stopped short of recommending that people start drinking coffee or tea in the hopes of fending off MRSA.<br /><br />"Based on one association study, that would probably be too much," Matheson concluded.</p>
<p>The government study, in which over 5,500 people took part, found that tea or coffee drinkers were about half as likely as non-drinkers to contract methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in their nostrils.<br /><br />MRSA is a pathogen which is highly resistant to some antibiotics and causes thousands of deaths worldwide every year, the Daily Mail reported.<br /><br />Study author Eric Matheson, of the University of South Carolina said: "Consumption of hot tea or coffee is associated with a lower likelihood of MRSA nasal carriage."<br />"Our findings raise the possibility of a promising new method to decrease MRSA nasal carriage that is safe, inexpensive, and easily accessible."<br /><br />The idea for the study came from the fact that, in both the lab dish and in humans, topically applied or inhaled tea extracts have shown some anti-MRSA activity, he said.<br />Less research has been done on coffee compounds, but there is some evidence of antibacterial powers there as well.<br /><br />The researchers, who detailed their findings in the journal Annals of Family Medicine, said about 1.4 per cent of the study group harboured the bacteria in their noses.<br />But the odds were about 50 per cent lower among people who said they drank hot tea or coffee, versus non-drinkers.<br /><br />The big caveat, though, is that the link does not prove that tea or coffee are the reason for the lower risk, Matheson said.<br /><br />The study shows an association between the two, "but you never can conclude causation from an association. I can't tell you that this finding isn't just a coincidence," he said. The researchers tried to account for several other factors, such as age, income or self-rated health, but the beverages were still linked to lower odds of being a MRSA carrier.<br /><br />One issue is that even if coffee and tea drinkers do have a lower risk of carrying MRSA, whether that makes them less likely to actually fall ill is unknown.<br /><br />Matheson said there is also still debate about whether MRSA carriers are at increased risk of developing an active infection.<br /><br />For now, the researchers stopped short of recommending that people start drinking coffee or tea in the hopes of fending off MRSA.<br /><br />"Based on one association study, that would probably be too much," Matheson concluded.</p>