Q: Do my genes determine if Coffee is good or bad for me?

Caffeine metabolism in part is regulated by a gene called CYP1A2. This gene regulates an enzyme that breaks down caffeine in your coffee, makes it water soluble and you pee it out. One variation of the CYP1A2 gene prompts your body to rapidly metabolize caffeine. People who have 2 copies of this variant, one from each parent, are known to be fast caffeine metabolizers. They get a quick jolt, and it’s gone!

If you inherited the slow version of the gene from either or both your parents, you are a slow metabolizer. In which case, drinking more than a cup of coffee may give you a headache, prevent a good night’s sleep or increase your cardiac risk.