Those who drink more coffee are more likely to have a gene that helps their livers break it down If you struggle to get through the day without a constant supply of coffee or tea, it may be down to more than just personal taste. Research shows some of us inherit genes which make us more reliant on caffeine. Those with the ‘caffeine addict’ genes need to drink more coffee or tea to get the same buzz.

　　(图片来源于网络)

　　咖啡在一定程度上作为一种“文化符号”融进了我们日常的生活中，很多需要玩命工作的白领们甚至到了“没有咖啡不能活”的地步，每天至少一杯咖啡提神成为我们生活中很重要的一个部分。有研究分析，喜爱饮用咖啡并非后天培养而成，喜爱咖啡是“天生的”，是体内的基因在作怪。科学家称，如果你想要强迫自己“戒咖啡”度过一天时间，并非是控制自己的意志力就能行得通的，您体内的“咖啡基因”让您无法将咖啡从您的脑海中抹去。

　　This could also help to explain why chocolate is more irresistible to some than others. The intriguing finding comes from a U.S. study scrutinising the DNA and diets of 45,000 people, one of the first to examine links between foods and genes. This flagged up two genes associated with the high intake of tea, coffee, chocolate and caffeinated soft drinks such as colas. One – CYP1A2 – is key to the breakdown of caffeine in the liver. The other, called AHR, regulates the first.

　　专家们在解释“咖啡基因”时套用了“巧克力基因”的道理，他们分析，人们不能抵御咖啡的魔力也如同人们不能抵御巧克力的魔力一样。这一项有趣的美国研究报告上首次证实了人体的DNA与食品之间的关系，通过对4万多名志愿者进行调查，专家们逐渐建立起“食品”和“基因”之间的关系。研究中，除了咖啡有基因影响以外，还有茶叶、巧克力以及可口可乐等饮料等等。专家发现，人体内的代谢性激活--CYP1A2是一个重要的让人对咖啡“无法自拔”的重要原因。

　　Researcher Neil Caporaso said: ‘It’s been known for decades that this CYP1A2 gene is what metabolized caffeine. ‘But using new technology, what we showed for the first time is that it appears responsible for the inherited differences in how people drink coffee. ‘The point is that the way we drink caffeine is not just random – it’s related to the genetic hand of cards you were dealt. ‘If you break it down more quickly, you require more caffeine to achieve the same “buzz” or to avoid withdrawal after stopping all caffeine.’

　　研究员Neil Caporaso 说：“携带CYP1A2基因的人，对咖啡成瘾的几率较大。我们通过新技术首次发现，我们对咖啡成瘾是基于体内的基因的原因。”(编译：韦方苑)