How much coffee you drink depends on your genetics, according to a new study

A number of obvious factors affect the amount of coffee you drink. How long did you sleep last night, for example, or how often did your needy cat wake you up? The proximity of the Starbucks closest to your office. The number of urgent and extremely stressful delays that clutter your agenda. But before you blame your total dependence on caffeine, here is another thing that plays a major role: your genetics. A new study indicates that the amount of coffee you drink is related to your sensitivity to its bitter taste, influenced by genetic factors – and curiously, the more sensitive you are, the more likely you are to drink. Is it not helpful to have the next time your colleague looks in your eyes for your fifth cup of the day?

Researchers from Northwestern University in the United States and the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Australia have investigated the link between our perception of coffee bitterness and its consumption. The researchers noted that bitterness should deter us from drinking coffee and other bitter substances. After all, we have developed the taste necessary to prevent us from consuming harmful products. And yet, a quick look on the morning waiting line at the nearest cafe is enough to show that this is far from the case.

The study, published in Scientific reports, have studied the link between the sensitivity to bitterness of caffeine and coffee consumption in more than 400,000 people in the UK. The researchers looked for a link between the presence of genetic variants associated with caffeine sensitivity and the amount of coffee that participants reported drinking.

The results? People who were more sensitive to the bitter taste of coffee drank more. "Since humans generally avoid bitter tastes, we interpret these findings as potentially learned behavior," said co-author Marilyn Cornelis of Northwestern guardian. "If we can really perceive caffeine, we associate it with the psychostimulant properties of caffeine and therefore look for more coffee." In other words, if you are more sensitive to coffee, you will probably associate it more with its precious energizing effects – and drink much more accordingly.

"Heavy caffeine users" are significantly more likely to become major consumers of coffee, said lead author Jue Sheng Ong of the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. "Although the effect of perception on your daily coffee intake may be relatively low (increase of 0.15 cup per day) – from a normal caffeine taster to a potent caffeine taster, it increases in fact 20% the risk of becoming a heavy drinker more than four cups a day, "he told guardian.

Researchers suggest that taste does not depend solely on chance or the environment around you; instead, it is strongly influenced by your genetics. Have you ever wondered why you needed a constant supply of caffeine to spend the day, while Katie at the office next to you looks great with her infused water? It seems that the answer may lie in your genes.