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Study finds link between genetics and coffee consumption
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
At 9am, coffee shops are full and the lines to get through the drive-thru window stretch around the building. This is a common occurrence around the world, as coffee is one of the most popular drinks. But is our love of coffee passed down from our parents or is it shaped by our environment?
Study of genetic predisposition to coffee consumption
Researchers from the Schulich School of Medicine and the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) used genetic data as well as self-reported measures of coffee consumption to conduct a genome-wide association study (GWAS). Such studies use large amounts of genetic data to help scientists identify genetic variants, genes, and biological processes associated with specific diseases or health traits.
Comparison of data from the US and UK
The researchers compared genetic coffee consumption patterns from the 23andMe database in the US with an even larger set of records from the UK.
"We used these data to identify regions on the genome associated with the likelihood of coffee consumption, and then identify genes and biology that may underlie coffee consumption," said Hayley Thorpe, lead researcher on the study and a postdoctoral fellow at Western University's Schulich School of Medicine.
Main results of the study
The results showed a genetic influence on coffee consumption. In other words, certain genetic variants inherited from your parents influence how much coffee you are likely to drink. The study was published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.
However, the findings on the health effects of coffee were less clear.
The Link Between Coffee and Various Health Conditions
A genome-wide association study of 130,153 23andMe participants in the US was compared with a similar UK Biobank database of 334,649 UK residents.
The comparison found consistent positive genetic associations between coffee consumption and adverse health outcomes, such as obesity and substance use, in both populations. This does not mean that a coffee drinker will necessarily use other substances or develop obesity, but rather that a genetic predisposition to coffee consumption is somehow linked to these traits, Thorpe explained.
Genetic Correlation with Psychiatric Conditions
The results became more complex when considering psychiatric conditions.
"If you look at the genetics of anxiety, for example, or bipolar disorder and depression, in the 23andMe dataset they tend to be positively genetically correlated with the genetics of coffee consumption," Thorpe said. "But then in the UK Biobank you see the opposite pattern, where they're negatively genetically correlated. That's not what we expected."
The researchers noted other differences between the populations.
"We found positive associations between coffee consumption genetics measured by 23andMe and psychiatric disorders, but these associations were generally negative when examined in the UK Biobank," Thorpe said. "These discrepancies could be due to many reasons, such as differences in tea and coffee consumption between people in the US and the UK."
Conclusion and need for further research
While this study adds to the existing literature and helps better understand how coffee may impact human health, more research is needed to understand the relationship between coffee, other substance use and health problems in different settings, Thorpe noted.