A large-scale study has recently identified six new genetic variants connected to coffee drinking. "Coffee and caffeine have been linked to beneficial and adverse health effects. Our findings may allow us to identify subgroups of people most likely to benefit from increasing or decreasing coffee consumption for optimal health," said Marilyn Cornelis, the lead author of the study.
Genetic response to coffee and caffeine has been largely questioned by science. The only issue was the challenge of finding the specific gene with variants that would cause such varied responses. The Coffee and Caffeine Genetics Consortium analyzed the genome of over 120,000 coffee consumers of different ancestries (mainly European and African American). They found two variants that linked the genes involved in caffeine metabolism, POR and ABCG2. These variants were located near genes BDNF and SLC6A4 which could influence the "rewarding effects of caffeine."
That means that, depending on the variant, we each would respond differently to caffeine based on our genetic makeup. Therefore, each individual consumes enough coffee/caffeine to experience the "optimal effects" of the caffeine. This means that the stronger an individuals genetic factors linking to coffee intake would increase their caffeine metabolism, meaning they would need to intake more caffeine than the "average" person. The research is still ongoing, but focusing on certain ancestries such as European and African Americans has greatly helped with the organization's research.
I found this article interesting because I had always thought one's response to coffee was more of a tolerance than an actual genetic makeup. The fact that genetics can influence certain habitual behaviors is extremely interesting to me. This explains why some people (myself included) need at least a cup of coffee a day to seem alive, whereas others don't require any caffeine at all.
Article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141007092352.htm
Related Article:http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/283515.php
This is very fascinating. I also thought it was due to tolerance. It's nice to know that I have strong genetic factors in regards to caffeine. I once had 250mg of caffeine and fell asleep. My one friend must have very slow caffeine metabolism, he drinks one pepsi and gets super hyper! I'm sure to pass this information to customers that come to the Starbucks I work at!
ReplyDeleteDervishe, as someone who considers herself addicted to caffeine, I found this article very interesting. I come from a family of coffee drinkers with both parents and both sets of grandparents being able to drink coffee throughout the day and have no issue falling asleep that night. It is amazing to think that my metabolism of caffeine may be due to genetic factors rather than tolerance.
ReplyDeleteThis post is extremely interesting. It goes to show just how unique and complex each individuals genetic makeup truly is. I know several people who claim they cannot function properly in the morning without a cup of coffee, whereas I have never drank a single cup of coffee my entire life. It is interesting to think that it takes a different amount of a substance (such as coffee) for each person to experience the optimal effects. Some people can drink a can of pepsi right before bed and have no problem getting to sleep, whereas some people wouldn't be able to get to sleep for hours. It is amazing how different each person's metabolism is, which ultimately results from having a different genetic makeup.
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