New Study Claims Coffee Could Help Protect Women From Rosacea

Drinking coffee might have a rather unexpected benefit for women in particular, as new medical research suggests the beverage could make female coffee drinkers less susceptible to a common skin condition.

In a study published Wednesday in the JAMA Dermatology journal, a team of researchers from Brown University sought to find out whether there is an association between certain dietary choices and the chances of women developing rosacea. As explained by WebMD, rosacea is a skin condition that affects the face’s blood vessels and can be distinguished by redness, flushing, visible blood vessels, and acne-like bumps. The condition could also commonly result in redness, swelling, and pain in the eyes.

Summarizing the methodologies used in the research, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote that the Brown University team analyzed the records of close to 83,000 women who took part in a national nurse’s study from 1991 to 2005 and gathered data on the participants’ coffee consumption every four years. Out of all the women enrolled in the study, there were almost 5,000 who were diagnosed with rosacea during its 14-year period.

Based on the team’s findings, women who consumed four or more cups of coffee a day were 23 percent less likely to develop rosacea than those who consumed one cup or less per month. While it was also noted that earlier studies revealed the opposite and suggested that coffee could trigger the symptoms of rosacea, the researchers stressed that their study was still the first to involve a large group of participants in determining whether there is a link between coffee or caffeine intake and the risk of developing the condition.

“We found that caffeine intake from coffee but not from other foods (tea, soda, and chocolate) was associated with a decreased risk of incident rosacea in a dose-dependent manner,” read a statement from the researchers.

The study was not able to identify an exact reason why regular coffee consumption is linked to a lower chance of developing rosacea. However, the researchers theorized that caffeine could stimulate the blood vessels and immune system, and added that the antioxidant and immunosuppressant agents found in caffeine could help in mitigating the effects of the skin condition.

Despite the study’s encouraging findings, the researchers stressed that their work is observational in nature, and not a randomized clinical trial, or the “gold standard” in determining causality, Better Homes and Gardens Australia noted. With that in mind, the team added that more research may be needed to explain the mechanisms that drive the association between regular coffee drinking and a reduced risk of rosacea.

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