Could Coffee Prevent Rosacea?

Drinking coffee was inversely associated with the risk of developing rosacea, according to the results of a recent study.

Many triggers for rosacea have been suggested, including the consumption of hot beverages. However, “[t]he reported direction and magnitude of the association between the risk of rosacea and caffeine and coffee intake in prior epidemiologic studies have been inconsistent,” according to researchers.

They sought to conduct a large cohort study (N = 82,737) to evaluate the association between caffeine/coffee intake and the risk of rosacea using data from the Nurses’ Health Study II.

Between 1991 and 2015, follow-up was conducted biennially and data on the consumption of coffee, tea, soda, and chocolate were collected every 4 years.

Over 1,120,051 person-years of follow-up, 4945 incident cases of rosacea were identified. The researchers observed an inverse association between increased caffeine intake and the risk of rosacea (hazard ratio [HR] for the highest quintile of caffeine intake vs the lowest, 0.76), following adjustment. Caffeinated coffee consumption was also significantly inversely associated with rosacea (HR 0.77 for those who consumed 4 or more servings a day versus those who consumed less than 1 serving per month). This trend was not present in those who consumed decaffeinated coffee (HR 0.80).

“In summary, we provide evidence that caffeine intake and caffeinated coffee consumption are associated with a decreased risk of incident rosacea. Our study may have implications for the causes of and clinical approach to rosacea. Our findings do not support limiting caffeine intake as a preventive strategy for rosacea.”

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Li S, Chen M, Drucker AM, et al.

Association of caffeine intake and caffeinated coffee consumption with risk of incident rosacea in women [published online October 17, 2018]. JAMA Dermatol. doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2018.3301.