Is our taste in coffee a genetic predisposition?
Two groups of genes may be responsible for whether or not we like coffee.
Why do some people enjoy their espresso plain, while some can not stand coffee even with generous spoons of sugar? Why do some people sleep like birds after three cups of filter coffee while others have their eye shrimp even with a single espresso at noon? The answer, tells us two researchers, Marylin Cornelis and Danielle Read, is hidden in our genes! Let's find out why this is so, as described by the two experts.
Genes that control metabolism
"What we've found," explains Marylin Cornelis, a researcher at the University of Chicago in the United States, "is that there are genetic factors that determine caffeine metabolism on their own - and in fact, these genetic factors play a more decisive role than other characteristics." ». Although in general the degree of tolerance to caffeine increases as its use becomes more systematic and decreases when we stop consuming coffee, there are people who do not develop this tolerance and coffee can cause insomnia, anxiety or even nausea. This is due to a specific nucleotide in the DNA strand, that is, our genetic alphabet.
It all has to do with the way our bodies deal with caffeine. When it comes to caffeine metabolism, two specific genes do the hard work: one gene that produces a liver enzyme responsible for metabolizing 95% of caffeine and another that controls the amount of that enzyme produced. The "collaboration" of these genes essentially controls how much caffeine circulates in our body, and for how long.
"If someone has a reduced caffeine metabolism due to genetic factors," says Cornelis, "they usually end up drinking much less coffee than someone who has the usual genes." In short, the faster the body metabolizes caffeine, the faster we will want the next cup of coffee, but if due to the genetic factors we have described, the metabolism is slower, it is almost certain that we will end up drinking significantly less coffee .
It's all in our minds!
But the "game" does not stop there, as another, different set of genes is responsible for how caffeine affects brain function, and therefore various side effects, such as insomnia and stress. It has been observed that caffeine can easily replace adenosine in brain receptors, a substance that calms the activity of the nervous system and the secretion of substances responsible for the feeling of calm, such as dopamine. How easily brain receptors can "confuse" caffeine for adenosine is also controlled by a set of genes, which explains why some people may stay awake with a cup of coffee while others sleep peacefully at three times the amount.
Corresponding genes control, in essence, how much we enjoy the taste of coffee. Danielle Read, a researcher at the Monell Center in Philadelphia, observed that there are many different sensations of bitterness in a cup of coffee, but also a genetic predisposition to a clearer intake of bitterness by the body. According to Read, "there are people who are genetically so sensitive to the bitter taste that they can not stand the taste of coffee, and instead people whose genes allow them to distinguish pleasant flavors and aromas behind the bitter 'wave' of coffee.
When someone from your company teases you about the ... fifth espresso of the day, you know what to say to him: "It's not my fault, it's in my genes"!
