Can Coffee and Tea Lower Risk of Contracting "Superbug"?

A new study conducted at the University of South Carolina, Charleston, suggests that regular drinkers of coffee or hot tea are significantly less likely to contract the superbug methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a potentially life-threatening bacterial infection that is best-known for striking patients during hospitalization.

While MRSA typically results in painful, though not serious skin infections in the general population, it often causes potentially fatal conditions in infected hospital patients, including pneumonia and blood infections.

Because of some recently discovered antibacterial properties of certain compounds found in coffee and tea, researchers decided to study if those who drink these beverages are any less likely to become infected. What they found is fascinating; those who regularly drink coffee or hot tea are 50% less likely to be carriers of the MRSA bacterium, and presumably, 50% less likely to be stricken with an active infection.

While this correlational study is not enough to make claims as to the benefits of coffee and tea in MRSA infection prevention, it is enough to warrant additional research. If your morning wake-up routine could be protecting you from a life-threatening superbug, what other benefits might be realized?

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/43757402