This is the conclusion of a new meta-analysis of the School of Public Health and Harvard Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston (USA) that has been published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry .
According to the work, there are genetic reasons why caffeine has different effects on each person , thus marking the taste for the daily use of the most consumed beverage on the planet. "This research serves as an example of how genetics can influence some types of habitual behavior," says Daniel Chasman, leader of the study.
The researchers conducted a genome-wide meta-analysis of more than 120,000 regular coffee drinkers , identifying two genetic variants – POR and ABCG2 – related to caffeine metabolism and two gene variants – from BDNF and SLC6A4 – that may influence on the "rewarding" effect of caffeine. In addition, two genes involved in glucose and lipid metabolism – GCKR and MLXIPL – were also associated for the first time with the metabolic and neurological effects of caffeine.
“Coffee and caffeine have been linked to beneficial health effects as well as adverse effects. Our findings could allow the identification of subgroups of people most likely to benefit from increasing or decreasing coffee consumption for optimal health, ”says study co-author Marilyn Cornelis.
