Why for some people, coffee has become a real addiction to such an extent that doing without your morning cup is not an option, while for others, we love coffee, but without it becoming a addiction ? The answer is actually in the genes.
According to the conclusions of researchers from the universities of Edinburgh, Scotland and Trieste in Italy, whether or not you have become addicted to coffee is in fact a genetic question. This is what they explain in their study published last Thursday, August 25 in the journal Scientific Reportshighlighting the role played by a particular gene in our deep relationship with coffee, more specifically with caffeine.
To affirm this genetic role, these Scottish and Italian researchers analyzed the genetic data of 370 inhabitants of a small village located in the south of Italy, as well as 843 people living in municipalities in the north-east of the country. Each participant was asked in this study how many cups of coffee they consumed each day.
A genetic analysis of all the participants was then carried out and for all the participants who drank on average one cup of coffee less daily than the others, the analysis revealed the presence of a particular gene, called « PDSS2″. . » The PDSS2 gene inhibits the body’s ability to break down caffeine. This keeps the caffeine in the body longer, reducing the number of cups per day. They need to drink it less often to get the positive effects of caffeine explains Nicola Pirastu, geneticist and main author of the study, to the newspaper Time.
This study confirms the results obtained during a similar study conducted by scientists with 1,731 people living this time in the Netherlands, which had proven an even stronger involvement of this gene in coffee consumption.
Source