Like caffeine? There’s a gene for that — two of them, actually Health Tips

Like caffeine? There’s a gene for that — two of them, actually

Attention coffee drinkers: If you think your craving for a cuppa joe stems from sleepiness or habit, you are sorely mistaken.

A team of researchers from Harvard, the National Cancer Institute and other esteemed institutions of biological science reports that our need for caffeine is in our DNA. As if there as any part of our lives not subject to genetics in some form or fashion.

But back to the so-called caffeine genes. There are two of them, according to a report published last week in PLoS Genetics. The first is CYP1A2, which had already been known to have something to do with caffeine metabolism, and the second is AHR, which plays a role in regulating CYP1A2.

Everyone has both of these genes, but we dont all have the same kinds. Those in the study who had the most caffeine-seeking version of CYP1A2 consumed an average of 38 milligrams more of the stuff each day than those with the most caffeine-indifferent version. People with the most caffeine-dependent version of the AHR gene consumed an average of 44 mg more per day than their counterparts with the least caffeine-seeking version.

Thats about the same amount of caffeine found in a single can of Coke or Pepsi or in a cup of tea.

The researchers made the discovery by comparing the genes and caffeine consumption habits of more than 47,000 Americans of European descent.

The findings are important because caffeine is the most widely consumed psychoactive substance in the world, with nearly nine out of 10 adults eating or drinking it regularly, they explained in their report.

More than 80 percent of the caffeine consumed by study participants was delivered in the form of coffee.

Virtual Health Center