"This tea tastes swell...and no more pesky MRSA!"

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Your morning hot beverage could contain compounds that slash your risk of harboring potentially life-threatening, hard-to-kill MRSA germs. A new study published in the journal Annals of Family Medicine found a link between people's regular consumption of hot coffee and/or hot tea and a lower risk of carrying the MRSA supergerm in the nasal cavities. Hot coffee and tea have been shown in previous research to contain natural antimicrobial action, with tea compounds in topical solutions actually killing MRSA germs. Interestingly, this study found that only hot tea and coffee—not the iced versions commonly drunk during spring and summer months—related to MRSA-free nostrils. Higher antioxidant levels in hot teas could explain that, but the study authors also hypothesized that the vapors from the hot drinks could enter the nose directly to wipe out MRSA.

Nasal cavities are one of the more common places where MRSA can lurk, yet some people can harbor the superbug in the nasal region without actually getting sick from it. Experts haven't been able to figure out the correlation between nasal MRSA levels and harmful MRSA infections. Still, this study suggests that hot coffee and tea could contain compounds that lower iron absorption, possibly enough to lower the amount of MRSA breeding in your nose.

In the study, researchers looked at more than 5,500 participants and found that drinking any hot coffee, hot tea, or both in the past month related to a significantly reduced risk of harboring MRSA in the nose.

Whether you're drinking it for MRSA protection or simply because it tastes good, tap into the power of tea and coffee using tips from these stories:

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