How much coffee you drink may depend on your DNA

Ontario researchers find our genes influence our intake

- KEVIN JIANG

Researchers found most of the gene variants linked to increased coffee consumption were also connected to harmful health traits, such as obesity and substance use.

How much coffee do you drink every day? Does it energize you - or fill you with anxiety? The ways our bodies respond to coffee can vary dramatically from person to person; now, researchers think they know why.

Like much else to do with our health, it all comes down to our DNA.

"As we expected, the decision to consume coffee is partially influenced by individual genetic differences," said lead author Hayley Thorpe, a post-doctoral fellow at Western University's Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Her team identified the specific genes influencing our coffee consumption-and in doing so, gleaned insights into "how the genetics of coffee intake related to other traits, like other substance use, psychiatric disorders and physical health conditions." These genes can then be passed to our children, as they were passed onto us by our parents - meaning if your family members are all coffee fanatics, chances are you are as well.

Thorpe's peer-reviewed paper, recently published in journal Neuropsychopharmacology, scanned through the DNA of more than 130,000 U.S.-based individuals registered in a 23andMe database, profiling their genetics alongside their self-reported coffee consumption habits.