Coffee Addict? Study Says You Got It From Your Parents, It Runs In The Family

Parents or even older relatives may have passed on the addiction to you and you may pass it on your children as well. This is because being a coffee addict is genetic, according to a recent study published in Scientific Reports. Therefore, if you can't last a day without coffee, you must think of the possibility that you were actually born that way. There is a gene identified by science, which may have the answers why some people have greater coffee intake than others.

Researchers chose people in villages in Italy as subjects in a genome-wide association study, wherein they identified a gene called PDSS2. The gene is said to play a role in the metabolism of caffeine.

According to Time, 1,200 people in Italy were asked how much coffee they consume; after which, their consumption and genetic results were compared to 1,731 people in the Netherlands. The findings suggest that those who have greater expression of PDSS2 gene drink less coffee.

Study author Nicola Pirastu of the University of Trieste in Italy said that those having high levels of PDSS2 experience slow caffeine metabolism; hence they consume less coffee. The gene is believed to regulate the production of protein responsible for metabolizing caffeine. It reduces the cells' ability to break down caffeine; so it stays longer in the body, according to Medical Daily. Piratsu added that people with high PDSS2 levels should drink coffee less often so they could still reap the benefits of caffeine; for instance, having more energy and staying awake.

Meanwhile, Piratsu also acknowledged that coffee has been linked to numerous health benefits and is thought to play a role in protection against diseases; therefore it is important to understand our choices of food. Additionally, the metabolism of caffeine is somehow related to the metabolism of some medications. For this, further studying this gene can lead to the understanding of the different responses of people to various drugs.