Daily HealthBeat Tip

Caffeine gene

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

For some people, coffee isn’t just something that gets their heart started in the morning. It may raise their risks of heart disease.

A report in the Journal of the American Medical Association checked a gene that directs the breakdown of caffeine. The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Researcher Ahmed El-Sohemy of the University of Toronto:

"Individuals who have a slow version of this gene – as little as two cups of coffee a day was associated with an increased risk of heart disease." (eight seconds)

People with the fast version had no such risk.

But El-Sohemy says people can’t tell if they have the slow version – jitters or staying up late isn’t a clue, and they can’t order the gene test.

Other experts say folks who think it’s worth worrying about can go easier on coffee.

Learn more at www.hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: April 6, 2006

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