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Coffee's Jolt Tied to Genes
(HealthScoutNews) -- American and German
researchers say they've found the genetic basis for the jitters
that come with your java.
People with two linked genetic
variations are far more likely to suffer caffeine-induced anxiety
than other people, says the study, which was presented yesterday
at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology's annual meeting
in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
It's the first study to identify
why people have different behavioral reactions to the same drug.
Not only does it provide new insight into why caffeine affects
people in different ways, the study also validates a testing method
that may help identify individual differences in how people respond
to a number of major drugs, the researchers say.
The study was done by researchers
from the University of Chicago and two German universities. They
studied 94 healthy, infrequent caffeine users. The subjects were
given either oral doses of caffeine or a placebo, and the researchers
recorded the subjects' physiological reactions and their mood
states.
Blood samples were also collected
from the study participants and checked for the genes that code
for two proteins, called adenosine receptors, that are known to
interact with caffeine.
The researchers found four genetic
variations of the adenosine receptors in the study group. After
analyzing their results, they found that people with two specific
variants in the A2a receptor gene had much higher levels of anxiety
after consuming caffeine than other people in the study.
Previous studies found that people
who suffer from panic disorder are likely to have one of the same
variants. Caffeine is a common trigger of panic attacks in people
with panic disorder.
The researchers plan to use the
same testing method to study how people react differently to amphetamines.
More information
Here's where you can find more
information about the health
effects of coffee.
Reference
Source 101
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