Going bald? Blame dad. Need a grande triple shot caffè latte in the morning? That could be thanks to mom. As USA Today recently reported, scientists have discovered two genes that determine how quickly or slowly you metabolize caffeine, which translated to how much - or little - you want that cup of Joe.
"It's really an incredible story," said study co-author Dr. Neil Caporaso, branch chief of genetic epidemiology at the National Cancer Institute. "People don't really suspect it, but genetics plays a big role in a lot of behaviors, such as smoking and alcohol consumption. And now it turns out that it has a part in how much caffeine we drink."
"What's the importance of studying these caffeine genes?", you may be wondering as you sip your extra hot Americano. Here's why...
"It's also the case that these observations actually go beyond caffeine," Caporaso continued, "because one of the genes we identified wasn't put there just to metabolize caffeine. It does a lot of other stuff, like metabolize compounds of cancer and also a whole long list of drugs."
"So now, we have some clear genetic markers that we can go and test to see how they might affect a host of metabolic processes," Caporaso said. "But meanwhile, people should think of caffeine as generally very safe. So enjoy yourself. In fact, go read about this research while sipping a cup of coffee."
We're pretty sure Starbucks is happy about this new discovery.
Photo by: eblaser
