On chinadaily.com.cn

Health: Genetic variant gives us taste for coffee

The more sensitive people are to the bitter taste of caffeine, the more coffee they drink, according to an Australian study. Scientists from Northwestern Medicine and the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute found people who were sensitive to caffeine drank more coffee than tea. The sensitivity is caused by a genetic variant. The study, published in Scientific Reports recently, also found people sensitive to the flavor of PROP, a taste related to the compounds in vegetables, avoided coffee. For alcohol, a higher sensitivity to the bitterness of PROP resulted in lower alcohol consumption.

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