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"   Photo: Starbucks  Do you stumble out of bed and into your kitchen for that first warm, amazing, jolting cup of coffee every morning? Ok, so we don&amp;#039;t either, but if you do, you can take comfort in blaming someone else. New research funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute just identified the link between your genes and your sensitivity to caffeine, which indirectly effects the amount of caffeine you need to drink to get that buzz. As background, the study authors noted that coffee is the drug of choice for 80% of Americans who consume caffeine, and that 90% of people in the world use some sort of caffeine. (This makes us feel slightly better about our $20/week Starbucks habit.) There are two genes involved, CYP1A2 and AHR. The former is responsible for how you break down and use caffeine, and AHR basically helps regulate the actions of CYP1A2. Each of these genes have different variations, called genotypes. In a meta-analysis of studies taking place between 1984 and 2001, study participants were asked about their daily caffeine consumption. After the data was pooled, Dr. Neil Caporaso and his colleagues found that people who carried the high-consumption variation of the gene\u2014you guessed it\u2014consumed more caffeine. Why is this significant? Because in addition to metabolizing caffeine, the genes are responsible for metabolizing a lot of other compounds, like drugs and medicines. The researchers are hopeful that this research will provide more information about how humans metabolize and use drugs, which ultimately can help in the fight against diseases like cancer. The most important take-home point? Dr. Caporaso told HealthDay that it was perfectly safe to drink coffee. Whew! Just in time for that afternoon Venti. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.elle.com/beauty/health-fitness/news/a6218/blame-your-parents-for-your-coffee-addiction-18923/>