Scientists from the Harvard School of Public Health, the National Cancer Institute, and other institutions say they have discovered two genetic variations influencing caffeine metabolism, the chemical process that happens in a living organism, depending on the amount of consumption. People with particular variations of two specific genes are more likely to consume caffeine, and to drink more of it when they do, study leader Marilyn C. Cornelis, PhD, of the Harvard School of Public Health. The genes are identified as CYP1A2, long known to play some role in caffeine metabolism, and another called AHR, Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor, which affects regulation of CYP1A2. All people have both genes, but the study, involving more than 47,000 middle-aged Americans of European descent, finds that people with the highest-consumption variant for either gene consumed about 40 milligrams, equivalent to 1/3 the cup of coffee or one can of soda, more caffeine than people with the lowest-consumption. Many people have become addicted to caffeine and drink it multiple times on a daily basis to avoid pain from withdrawal, the process of ceasing from taking a certain drug. Caffeine effects mutiple medical and physiological conditions. Additionally it affects mood, sleep patterns, energy levels, and mental and physical performances. Does this mean that different people have to take different amounts of caffeine? How does caffeine affect us in the long run?
Sources:
- Photo: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12992374
- Source: Hendrick, Bill. "Crave Caffeine? It May Be in Your Genes DNA May Influence How
Much Caffeine People Consume, Researchers Say." WebMD. WebMD, 7 Apr. 2011.
Web. 7 Apr. 2011.
