“Coffee is a perfect example of nutrigenetics, that is, the science that explains why each of us reacts differently to food”.
To speak is Francesco Visioli, pharmacologist and nutritionist who studies the active compounds of food at the University of Padua, and who analyzes in particular the caffeine of coffee, the most active, indeed psychoactive, substance contained in espresso.
Being a stimulant of the nervous system, it is able to increase attention, concentration and lucidity, reducing sleepiness, but its effect is not the same for everyone. And, in fact, there are those who cannot drink coffee after dinner otherwise they will not sleep and those, on the other hand, do not even notice it. Especially if he is a smoker. Of course, it is partly the fault of the concentration of caffeine in the drink: a cup of mocha or espresso contains from 60 to 80 milligrams, while an American can even go beyond 100 mg.
Obviously, the greater the quantity, the greater the effect on wakefulness and productivity can be. But what makes the difference is above all the genetic makeup of each of us.
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In terms of the reaction to caffeine, there are two categories of people: slow metabolisers and fast metabolisers. “The stimulating effects of a coffee arise about 30-45 minutes after its intake and last for a few hours, as the half-life of caffeine, that is the time it takes for the body to metabolize it, is on average three to four hours, “he explains Raffaella Cancello, food science specialist at Irccs Istituto Auxologico Italiano in Milan: “However, the reaction is variable: if I am a fast metabolizer after an hour and a half I may no longer feel the effect; if I am slow, a coffee can keep me also active for five to six hours “.
The difference is determined by personal habits and also by genetic variants, which make the enzyme that metabolizes caffeine in the liver more or less rapid in doing its job. An enzyme, among other things, less active up to about 18 years, which is why it is not recommended to take caffeine to minors, considering that it is also found in some carbonated drinks and energy drinks.
The speed of metabolizing coffee, on the other hand, even increases by 30-50% in those who have the habit of cigarettes. According to a study published inInternational Journal of Epidemiology in 2017 – which analyzed the genetic profile of over 250,000 people and their habits – those with a particular genetic variant, which predisposes them to smoke more, also tends to drink a greater number of espressos.
Researchers believe this may happen precisely because nicotine causes caffeine to be metabolized more quickly, incentivizing people to take more to reap the benefits.
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“It is useless to remember that smoking is bad for you and that, therefore, the positive effects of espresso in this case are outclassed by the negative ones of cigarettes”, he points out. Gate. The close correlation between coffee and smoking is also the reason why in the early 1990s caffeine was classified as a probably carcinogenic substance: the studies did not take into account that the coffee breaks of many subjects also corresponded to cigarette breaks. Today, in fact, we know that this drink has no negative effect on health, if taken in moderation. Indeed, despite being responsible for a slight increase in blood pressure (reversible, physiological and typical especially in non-habitual drinkers), it seems to be protective against some chronic diseases, including cardiovascular ones. And the positive effect of coffee is valid for both slow and fast metabolisers.
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“The maximum recommended amount of caffeine is about 400 mg per day, but hypertensive people should take even less or, in any case, consult with their doctor to define the most suitable quantities for them”, advises the expert.
There are, in fact, medicines, such as those taken chronically for cardiovascular diseases or prescribed for asthma or depression, which can interact with caffeine. The contraceptive pill is also under the magnifying glass of scientists: “It can inhibit the enzyme that breaks down caffeine, which tends to stay effective longer in women who use oral contraceptives,” he points out. Gate, “but, precisely on the basis of individual variability, it still remains to be understood whether the consumption of coffee is disadvantaged or not in those who take the pill”.
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In addition to the speed with which coffee is disposed of (and its effect), what varies in people is also the sensitivity to caffeine, i.e. its ability to stimulate us in qualitative rather than quantitative terms. In this case, it is not the metabolization but the genetic variations of the adenosine receptor, “a neurotransmitter whose task, among others, is to make us tired,” explains Visioli – When adenosine increases in the body we sleep, but to act it must bind to its receptor and, if we drink coffee in the meantime, the caffeine inserts itself into this receptor in its place, putting a spanner in the works. ”
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These effects would be more evident in those who consume caffeine only occasionally or in those who stop taking it for some time. There are, however, people in whom this alkaloid fails to bind effectively to the adenosine receptor and are in fact “insensitive” to its action. It is above all the carriers of these variants who claim that drinking a coffee before going to sleep makes them sleepy.
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If it’s not there, you can hear it
According to the American journalist Michael Pollan, about 80% of the world population is addicted to caffeine. A substance that, Pollan argues, has helped to create a new type of worker since the 1940s, when American entrepreneurs introduced the morning and afternoon coffee break to optimize the productivity of their workers also thanks to coffee.
For Italy, there are no specific data on caffeine addiction. “It is known that it can be addictive”, he agrees Leonardo Mendolicchio, psychiatrist psychoanalyst at the Piancavallo Auxologico Hospital: “By acting on the nervous system, it makes us feel more active, concentrated and in a better mood. Therefore, when it is missing, we feel it. If, abruptly interrupting consumption, we perceive symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, impaired concentration and sleep disturbances mean we had developed an addiction. ” Which is not dose related, but subjective.
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