Caffeine sensitivity is largely dependent on the CYP1A2 gene, says Dr. Ahmed El-Sohemy, professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Toronto. This gene controls an enzyme called CYP1A2, which breaks down and eliminates caffeine from the body, and the rate at which caffeine is metabolized depends on the variation of this gene in each person.
People with two copies of the CYP1A2 variant are likely to metabolize caffeine quickly. While people with one copy—slow metabolizers—are more sensitive to caffeine. The rest, who have no copies of the CYP1A2 gene, are quite sensitive to caffeine.
Ideally, you should only drink 2 - 3 cups of black coffee without sugar per day.
How do genetics affect coffee preferences?
Genetics also influence coffee preferences. A 2021 study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, found that people who are genetically more sensitive to caffeine are less likely to like the bitter taste of black coffee, and therefore prefer milky coffee.
Conversely, a 2021 study from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine found that people with genetics that metabolize caffeine faster prefer black, bitter coffee, according to the medical journal Neuroscience .
People who drink black coffee, especially black coffee without sugar, also prefer other bitter foods like dark chocolate, said study lead author Marilyn Cornelis, PhD, associate professor of preventive medicine and nutrition at Northwestern. These people metabolize caffeine faster, and therefore drink more coffee.
However, expert Cornelis said that ideally you should only drink 2-3 cups of black coffee without sugar per day.
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