There is a significant inverse association between risk of rosacea and increased coffee intake, according to the results of a longitudinal cohort study published in the December issue of JAMA Dermatology.
Authors Suyun Li, MD, et al, measured data from 82,737 women in the Nurses’ Health Study II (NHS II), a prospective cohort established in 1989 with follow-up conducted biennially between 1991 and 2005, in order to determine the association between the risk of rosacea and caffeine intake. Data on coffee, tea, soda and chocolate consumption were collected every 4 years during follow-up. Information on history of clinician-diagnosed rosacea and year of diagnosis was collected in 2005.
They identified 4,945 cases of rosacea. Participants who drank four cups of caffeinated coffee per day were less likely to develop rosacea compared with participants who did not drink coffee. There was no association found for decaffeinated coffee or intake of other caffeinated food sources, including tea, soda and chocolate.
The authors hypothesize that caffeine’s vasodilation and immunosuppressant effects may potentially decrease the risk of rosacea, noting that further studies are needed to better explain the mechanism of action of this association.
