Coffee Drinking Habits Can Be Written in Our DNA

Summary: Researchers report people with a specific DNA variation tend to consume fewer cups of coffee per day than those without the variation.

Source: University of Edinburgh.

Researchers have identified a gene that appears to curb coffee consumption.

People with a DNA variation in a gene called PDSS2 tend to drink fewer cups of coffee, the study found.

Experts say the findings suggest that the gene reduce the ability of cells to breakdown caffeine, causing it to stay in the body for longer.

This means that a person would not need to consume as much coffee to get the same caffeine hit, the team says.

The findings add to previous studies that have identified genes linked to coffee habits and shed new light on the biological mechanisms of caffeine metabolism.

Researchers looked at genetic information from 370 people living in a small village in south Italy and 843 people from six villages in north-east Italy.

Each of the study participants was asked to complete a survey that included a question about how many cups of coffee they drank each day.

The team found that people with the DNA variation in PDSS2 tended to consume fewer cups of coffee than people without the variation. The effect was equivalent to around one fewer cup of coffee per day on average.

The researchers replicated the study in a group of 1731 people from the Netherlands. The result was similar but the effect of the gene on the number of cups of coffee consumed was slightly lower.

Image shows a cup of coffee.
The findings add to previous studies that have identified genes linked to coffee habits and shed new light on the biological mechanisms of caffeine metabolism. Neurosciencenews image is for illustrative purposes only.

This could be because of the different styles of coffee that are drunk in the two countries, the researchers say. In Italy, people tend to drink smaller cups such as espresso whereas in the Netherlands the preference is towards larger cups that contain more caffeine overall.

The study was conducted at the Universities of Edinburgh and Trieste, the Burlo Garofolo Pediatric Institute in Italy, the Erasmus Medical Center and PolyOmica, a data analysis company based in Groningen, the Netherlands.

Researchers from the Italian coffee company Illy also participated in the project though the company did not offer financial support. The study is published in the journal Scientific Reports.

Dr Nicola Pirastu, a Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of Edinburgh’s Usher Institute, said: “The results of our study add to existing research suggesting that our drive to drink coffee may be embedded in our genes. We need to do larger studies to confirm the discovery and also to clarify the biological link between PDSS2 and coffee consumption.”

About this genetics research article

Source: Jen Middleton – University of Edinburgh
Image Source: This NeuroscienceNews.com image is in the public domain.
Original Research: Full open access research for “Non-additive genome-wide association scan reveals a new gene associated with habitual coffee consumption” by Nicola Pirastu, Maarten Kooyman, Antonietta Robino, Ashley van der Spek, Luciano Navarini, Najaf Amin, Lennart C. Karssen, Cornelia M Van Duijn and Paolo Gasparini in Scientific Reports. Published online August 25 2016 doi:10.1038/srep31590

Cite This NeuroscienceNews.com Article

[cbtabs][cbtab title=”MLA”]University of Edinburgh. “Coffee Drinking Habits Can Be Written in Our DNA.” NeuroscienceNews. NeuroscienceNews, 26 August 2016.
<https://neurosciencenews.com/genetics-coffee-consumption-4913/>.[/cbtab][cbtab title=”APA”]University of Edinburgh. (2016, August 26). Coffee Drinking Habits Can Be Written in Our DNA. NeuroscienceNews. Retrieved August 26, 2016 from https://neurosciencenews.com/genetics-coffee-consumption-4913/[/cbtab][cbtab title=”Chicago”]University of Edinburgh. “Coffee Drinking Habits Can Be Written in Our DNA.” https://neurosciencenews.com/genetics-coffee-consumption-4913/ (accessed August 26, 2016).[/cbtab][/cbtabs]


Abstract

Non-additive genome-wide association scan reveals a new gene associated with habitual coffee consumption

Coffee is one of the most consumed beverages world-wide and one of the primary sources of caffeine intake. Given its important health and economic impact, the underlying genetics of its consumption has been widely studied. Despite these efforts, much has still to be uncovered. In particular, the use of non-additive genetic models may uncover new information about the genetic variants driving coffee consumption. We have conducted a genome-wide association study in two Italian populations using additive, recessive and dominant models for analysis. This has uncovered a significant association in the PDSS2 gene under the recessive model that has been replicated in an independent cohort from the Netherlands (ERF). The identified gene has been shown to negatively regulate the expression of the caffeine metabolism genes and can thus be linked to coffee consumption. Further bioinformatics analysis of eQTL and histone marks from Roadmap data has evidenced a possible role of the identified SNPs in regulating PDSS2 gene expression through enhancers present in its intron. Our results highlight a novel gene which regulates coffee consumption by regulating the expression of the genes linked to caffeine metabolism. Further studies will be needed to clarify the biological mechanism which links PDSS2 and coffee consumption.

“Non-additive genome-wide association scan reveals a new gene associated with habitual coffee consumption” by Nicola Pirastu, Maarten Kooyman, Antonietta Robino, Ashley van der Spek, Luciano Navarini, Najaf Amin, Lennart C. Karssen, Cornelia M Van Duijn and Paolo Gasparini in Scientific Reports. Published online August 25 2016 doi:10.1038/srep31590

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