Mutant Genes May Cause Heart Attack
From Reuters Health:A genetic mutation that slows the rate that the body metabolizes caffeine increases individuals' risk of having a heart attack if they drink much coffee, investigators report in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Caffeine is metabolized primarily in the liver by the cytochrome P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) enzyme, Dr. Ahmed El-Sohemy and colleagues note. They explain that mutation in the gene that codes for this enzyme alters the rate of caffeine metabolism. This may explain why studies looking at the association between coffee consumption and heart attack risk have been inconclusive.
posted by nattietodd @ 7:21 AM
0 Comments
