You can blame that third cup of Joe on your genes.
A recent study has found
six new genetic variants that could dictate the volume -- and frequency
-- of a person's daily coffee consumption.
Perfect your coffee pour-over
The research was led by Marilyn Cornelis of the Harvard School of Public Health, and published on Tuesday by the journal Molecular Psychiatry.
"Overall, we have known
for a long time that there are some genetic components for our
coffee-consuming behaviors," Cornelis told CNN.
Researchers were able to
identify six regions in human DNA that were not previously linked to
coffee-drinking behavior, which could explain why one drinker will lie
awake at night twitching after one cup while another can gulp down the
whole pot before their REM cycle.
The study analyzed data
from several studies that polled more than 120,000 people on how much
coffee they drink a day, then scanned their DNA.
5 hottest new coffee spots in the U.S.
Cornelis said researchers
will be able to use these genetic variants to study the health effects
of coffee -- and caffeine -- better.
"Most (human) population
studies of coffee and heath assume everyone responds to a given amount
of coffee in the same way," she said. "We know that isn't true and we
now have specific genetic variants that we can apply to our studies
which will enable us to generate better results."
According to the National Coffee Association's 2014 drinking trends study, 61% of American adults consume coffee on a daily basis.
