It Turns Out That Coffee Addiction Can Be Blamed On Genes

If you can't function without that morning cup of java, you are not alone. Hundreds of thousands of us drink it every day. In fact, aside from water and tea, coffee is the most widely consumed beverage in the world. But how much do you need before the caffeine kicks in and starts your engine? One cup? Two? Nine? According to a recent study, if you need a dump truck of coffee just to get your daily caffeine jolt, you can blame it on your DNA.

How many cups of coffee do you need throughout your day?COMMENTand let us know!

For some of us, coffee = life.

And if you really love it, you can even bathe in it. There's a spa in Japan that fills your bath with coffee, so you can reap all supposed skin-detoxing benefits. 

Are we really programmed to like it?

According to research from Nicola Pirastu, the scientist who led the study, some of us are carrying a gene variation that limits our coffee consumption. 

Science to the rescue!

The study tested over 1200 people. They all filled out surveys about coffee consumption and had their genetic makeup analysed. Then they tested 1700 more people just to confirm their results.

Do you have this crazy gene variation?

But they all revealed the same thing: if you had the gene variant, you drank less coffee. Those of us who have this weird variation actually need less coffee because the caffeine hangs around in our systems longer.

Wait — is it good to have this or not?

That all depends on how much you like to drink.

This special variant actually slows down our metabolism, and since our body takes longer to break it down, we're not reaching for that extra cup to get our fix. “The results of our study add to existing research suggesting that our drive to drink coffee may be embedded in our genes," says Pirastu.

Extra benefits!

Many of the same genes that process caffeine are also used for certain medicines. So figuring out how these genes work might actually have an impact on how different patients respond differently to the same medications.

Coffee has superhero-like qualities.

“Coffee is protective against some types of cancers, cardiovascular diseases and Parkinson’s,” says Pirastu. “Understanding what is driving its consumption may help us understand what the effects on these diseases are, and so open new lines of research.”

Break time!

Four extra-large dark roasts? Seven espressos? How do you get your required caffeine boost each day? COMMENTand let us know!