Hot Tea and Coffee to Avoid MRSA!

                                                   Photo:  S. aureus  (US CDC Janice Haney)

According to a recent study, those who partake of hot tea and/or coffee may at least half their chance of carrying resistant Staph.  Since at least 2.5 million Americans are carriers of this pesky bug and the associated diseases are difficult to treat, this is significant.  Apparently, the beverages need to be hot, since no protection was afforded by drinking ice tea…  

Jury is still out on how this works but there are several theories.  It’s been known for years that both coffee and tea have antimicrobial and antioxidant properties.   Coffee contains interesting compounds like trigonelline and diacetyl, while tea has catechins and tannic acid.  Both beverages must be consumed while hot which alludes to the idea that the compounds are volatile and go up into the nasal area where Staphylococcus aureus likes to hang out.  Another thought is that both beverages have a way of reducing overall iron absorption.  Chemical compounds in these drinks stick to dietary iron, and make it harder to be taken up in the intestines.  Since bacteria like Staph really need that iron for metabolic processes, this may make it harder for them to live on coffee and tea drinkers.  

Staph is rampant in many American communities, with at least two major forms.  Treatment is expensive and difficult, so any positive news on prevention is embraced.  I guess the next step would be to tease out how much of each beverage is required for the optimal effect, and to see if there’s a difference between black and green teas.  

Primary Source:  Matheson E, et al "Tea and coffee consumption and MRSA nasal carriage" Ann Fam Med 2011; 9: 299-304.