Caffeine and genetics

Nearly all of us love a coffee and many rely on it's caffeine content to get going in the morning.

Caffeine is not only found in coffee, but also in tea, energy drinks and chocolate.

Caffeine stimulates the release of adrenaline and dopamine to increase alertness, focus, pain tolerance and reduce fatigue.

It promotes the breakdown of fats and increases metabolism.

BUT it can also disrupt sleep and cause spikes in heart rate and increase anxiety.

Some people have genetic variances that increase their sensitivity to caffeine, meaning that they may experience significant effects from low doses.

Caffeine is metabolised by the liver. Variants in your genetics may increase or decrease the speed of its metabolism, either reducing the duration of effect or having a greater stimulatory effect for longer.

I prefer decaf as I have variants which mean I have an increased sensitivity to caffeine and it’s effects last longer than most.  I have found limiting my caffeine intake overall has helped reduce my anxiety.

That means decaf coffee and rooibos tea for me.

I prefer to get my caffeine intake from 70%+ dark chocolate.

If you’re interested in finding out about your genetic variances, I work with Lifecode Gx to carry out DNA genotype analysis.  Contact me here or link in bio to find out more.