--- title: This Week in Health: Flesh-Eating Bacteria and Coffee Perks description: This week's health news explored the health benefits of coffee, the dangers of flesh-eating bacteria and the bottom line on air purifiers. canonical: https://time.com/4776094/health-news-bacteria-coffee/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-05-11T18:47:50.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:58:51.695Z article:section: Health og:title: This Week in Health: Flesh-Eating Bacteria and Coffee Perks og:description: This week's news explored the benefits of coffee and the dangers of superbugs og:url: https://time.com/4776094/health-news-bacteria-coffee/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt69a37799aa82a4db/6988ccf1cd1bbab76570528c/gettyimages-502321214-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5760 og:image:height: 3240 og:image:alt: Coffee hot cup og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: This Week in Health: Flesh-Eating Bacteria and Coffee Perks twitter:description: This week's news explored the benefits of coffee and the dangers of superbugs twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt69a37799aa82a4db/6988ccf1cd1bbab76570528c/gettyimages-502321214-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # This Week in Health: Flesh-Eating Bacteria and the Perks of Coffee > Sponsored content. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's weekday health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free weekday newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=7d21149b-6290-4b3b-a8b3-278691153770&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1) by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin May 11, 2017 6:47 PM UTC  Coffee cup on a day window background Coffee cup on a day window background Getty Images by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin May 11, 2017 6:47 PM UTC This week brought the harrowing yet inspiring story of a woman who [survived an infection from flesh-eating bacteria](http://new.time.com/4771484/flesh-eating-bacteria-amputation/). It also provided the bottom line on coffee at last. (You’re in luck: it’s good for you.) Here’s what else caught our attention in health news this week. Sign up for [our newsletter](http://time.com/newsletter-health) for more. ## [**I survived flesh-eating bacteria—and it changed my life forever**](http://time.com/4771484/flesh-eating-bacteria-amputation/) One woman shares her story of surviving flesh-eating bacteria but losing her leg, foot and hands to the infection. ## [**You Asked: Should I use an air purifier?**](http://time.com/4773089/air-purifier/)  Getty Images It’s a good idea for people with allergies and asthma. But choosing the wrong type could do more harm than good. ## [**These are the filthiest places in your kitchen**](http://time.com/4774726/these-are-the-filthiest-places-in-your-kitchen/)  Getty Images Think you have a spotless setup? Most home kitchens would receive major health violations if they were rated the same way that restaurants are, according to the shocking results of a new study. ## ## [**When cancer patients should ask for genetic sequencing**](http://time.com/4769503/cancer-tumors-dna/) Genetic information about tumors is paving the way to better treatments for cancer, according to new research. ## [**The case for drinking coffee is stronger than ever**](http://time.com/4768860/is-coffee-good-for-you/)  Hand under blanket reaching out for alarm clock, shallow depth of field focus on foreground Getty Images With so much conflicting evidence, it can be tough to know if coffee is good or bad for you. But experts have a new appreciation for the health benefits of coffee. ## [**People with HIV are living 10 years longer**](http://time.com/4773541/hiv-aids-drugs-life-expectancy/) The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is no longer as deadly as it used to be, and life expectancy is increasing for those infected, finds a new report. ## [**Taking ibuprofen daily raises your heart attack risk**](http://time.com/4772740/ibuprofen-naproxen-heart-attacks/)  MEDICINE CAPSULES, CLOSE-UP Getty Images Over-the-counter pain relievers, like ibuprofen and naproxen, can increase the risk of heart attacks by a significant amount, a new study finds. ## ## ## [**Hepatitis C is spiking among young Americans**](http://new.time.com/4775698/hepatitis-c-diagnosis/) Experts blame the opioid epidemic and a rise in injectable drug use. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4776094/health-news-bacteria-coffee/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4776094/health-news-bacteria-coffee/"},"headline":"This Week in Health: Flesh-Eating Bacteria and the Perks of Coffee","datePublished":"2017-05-11T18:47:50.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:58:51.695Z","description":"This week's health news explored the health benefits of coffee, the dangers of flesh-eating bacteria and the bottom line on air purifiers.","url":"https://time.com/4776094/health-news-bacteria-coffee/","keywords":["this week in health","Coffee","Bacteria","HIV","superbugs","nsaids","ibuprofen"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt69a37799aa82a4db/6988ccf1cd1bbab76570528c/gettyimages-502321214-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alexandra Sifferlin","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt69a37799aa82a4db/6988ccf1cd1bbab76570528c/gettyimages-502321214-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Coffee hot cup","caption":"Coffee hot cup","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/this-week-in-health/","name":"this week in health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4776094/health-news-bacteria-coffee/","name":"This Week in Health: Flesh-Eating Bacteria and the Perks of Coffee"}}]}] ```