Do you come from a long line of people who love coffee? When you visit a relative’s home, are you often greeted by the smell of coffee brewing? Research reveals that there is a link between people who love caffeinated beverages and foods, and certain genes. Since caffeine consumption can affect some diseases and disorders, you may want to make note of how many of your ancestors were caffeine lovers.
A new study that was published in PloS Genetics, and conducted by scientists from the Harvard School of Public Health, the National Cancer Institute, and other institutions, have discovered two genetic mutations, (or variations), that influence how fast people metabolize caffeine. This, naturally, relates to how much caffeine a particular person will choose to consume. The study involved over 147,000 people who were middle-aged Americans of European descent. The study based it’s conclusions on an analysis of five different studies that were conducted between 1984 and 2001.
One of these genes is called CYP1A2. This gene has been previously known to play a part in how people metabolize caffeine. The other gene is called AHR, and it’s job is to regulate the expression of the CYP1A2 gene. All humans have both of those genes. However, it turns out that people who have a specific variation of those two genes are much more likely to consume caffeine, and to consume more if it, than are people without those particular genetic variations. How much more were they consuming? According to the study, the most was around forty milligrams more than what people who had the genetic variations that caused the lowest amount of caffeine consumption were ingesting.
The study indicates that the coffee lovers your family have the genetic variation that corresponds to higher caffeine consumption. The assumption is that these people are metabolizing caffeine at a much faster rate than those who have the genotype that connects to lower caffeine consumption.
What does this mean in terms of your medical family tree? Since caffeine has been connected with many physiological conditions, it is possible the that the amount of caffeine you are consuming could have a negative affect on some of the medical conditions that you suffer from. You may want to speak with your doctor about the amount of caffeine you consume, and see what health advice the doctor gives you. It also means that there is a genetic reason why you, or other members of your family, drink a lot of coffee.
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