Fear by coffee

Coffee can cause anxiety in some people. The reason could be a defective gene in the ergut.

(06.08.2010) Do you know the feeling? They drink one or two cups of coffee and suddenly feel a sense of anxiety for no reason. The reason for this may be a genetic effect in the genetic material that is triggered in some people after the consumption of coffee. Scientists at the University of Würzburg have discovered this connection.

Not all people can tolerate coffee. For many, symptoms are triggered after coffee, such as palpitations, excessive sweating, and sleep problems. Some people also experience a sudden feeling of anxiety. According to psychiatrist Jürgen Deckert, in some people this can be caused by a small variant in the genetic material. However, if you drink coffee regularly, there is a physical habituation effect and the symptoms weaken.

Deckert had undertaken research on this subject in collaboration with a research group headed by Peter Rogers of the University of Bristol. The results of this work have been published in the journal "Neuropsychopharmacology". Fear of coffee or tea is triggered by changes in the genome, according to the working group. We were able to show that a variant in the gene of the adenosine A2A receptor plays an important role in this process, "says psychologist Deckert.

Normally the messenger substance docks „adenosine“ in certain areas of the human brain to receptors, thereby triggering a calming effect. However, if the receptor gene is altered, caffeine can displace the adenosine and thus prevent its calming effect. The affected then feel a sense of anxiety. (Sb)

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Picture: Martin Schneider