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This could be due to the fact that bitterness acts as a natural warning system to protect us from harmful substances.
The study, led by researchers from the American company Northwestern University and the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Australia studied the reactions to three bitter substances – caffeine, quinine and propylthiouracil (PROP) – to understand their impact on people's preference for tea, coffee and alcohol.
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The results showed that people who are more sensitive to caffeine and drink a lot of coffee consume low amounts of tea.
In other words, people who have an increased ability to experience the bitterness of coffee – and especially the distinct bitter taste of caffeine – learn to badociate "good things".
"You would expect people particularly sensitive to caffeine The bitter taste of caffeine consumes less coffee," said Marilyn Cornelis, badistant professor of preventive medicine at Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University.
"The opposite results of our study suggest that coffee consumers acquire a taste or ability to detect caffeine because of the learned positive reinforcement (stimulation) elicited by caffeine."
The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, also found that people sensitive to the bitter flavors of quinine and PROP – a synthetic taste related to the cruciferous vegetable compounds – avoid coffee.
With respect to alcohol, increased sensitivity to PROP bitterness resulted in lower alcohol consumption, especially red wine.
"The results suggest that our perception of bitter tastes, influenced by our genetics, contributes to the preference for coffee, tea and alcohol," Cornelis said.
Scientists applied Mendelian randomization – a technique commonly used in disease epidemiology – to test the causal relationship between bitter taste and beverage consumption among more than 4,000,000 men and women in the UK.
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