Coffee Drinking Habits Driven by Genetics

A new meta-analysis has found genetic reasons as to why caffeine has different effects on different people. Previously, scientists thought there to be a genetic mechanism behind individual responses to caffeine. However, identifying the specific gene variants that are responsible for the differences in responses has been difficult. In 2006, researchers conducted a study that examined how the different genetic profiles of coffee drinkers may influence whether drinking lots of coffee is good of bad for the individuals health.

Today, the same researchers that were involved in that study discovered that people carrying a version of the gene that is responsible for slow metabolism of caffeine had a 36% higher risk of heart attack of they drank up to three cups of coffee a day, compared to those carrying that gene who only drank one a day. On the other hand, those who had the version of the gene responsible for fast caffeine metabolism that drank up to three cups of coffee a day were found to have a lowered risk of heart attack.

In a new study, researchers performed a genome-wide meta-analysis of more than 120,000 regular coffee drinkers. Identified were two gene variants- POR and ABCG2- related to caffeine metabolism and two gene variants- near genes BDNF and SLC6A4- that may influence the “rewarding” effect of caffeine. Additionally, two genes involved in glucose and lipid metabolism- GCKR and MLXIPL- were associated for the first time with the metabolic and neurological effects of caffeine.

Marilyn Cornelis, a research associate in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Heath described the study’s results:

“ Coffee and caffeine have been linked to beneficial and adverse health effects. Our findings may allow is to identify subgroups of people most likely to benefit from increasing or decreasing coffee consumption for optimal health. The new candidate genes are not the ones we have focused on in the past, so this is an important step forward in coffee research.”

This study suggests that coffee intake is “naturally modulated” by individuals in order to experience the optimal effects of the caffeine.  As an avid coffee drinker, I find this newfound information to be very interesting. Before reading this article, I had no idea that gene variants that influenced the effects of caffeine existed. Overall, I find it remarkable that individuals are able to effortlessly adjust in order to get the most out of the caffeine they consume and in order to keep themselves in optimum health.

Article Link: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/283515.php

Coffee Consumption Driven by Genetics

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  

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