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Comment by aantix | Hacker News Reader

Please take in to account slow vs fast caffeine metabolizer.

"CYP1A2 Gene: Fast or Slow Caffeine Metabolizer?"

https://www.geneticlifehacks.com/liver-detox-genes-cyp1a2/

This is one of those subjects where people argue past each "I can drink a cup of coffee and sleep like a baby!" vs "One cup of coffee in the morning and my sleep quality is impacted". And neither understands how the other can have a vastly different personal experience.

This extends to any online discussion regarding weight loss/gain, politics, wars, etc.

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I think people simplify this too much. Fast metabolizer doesn't mean it just doesn't effect you.

I am an ultra-fast metabolizer on CYP1A2 based on genetic tests and yet I can still easily get negative side effects from caffeine. This is not an on/off thing, most of these metabolizers are rated on scale of 4 or 5 levels IIRC. I have been told the understanding of some of these metabolizer tests is not that great. They can test for it but they don't really understand how it changes things that well. The bigger thing with these tests is they point towards people of different genetic backgrounds needing different drugs or different doses of some drugs when it comes to certain treatments and that typical drug guidelines are heavily biased towards male patients with typical Northern European genetic characteristics. If you're an ultra-fast caffeine metabolizer there are apparently some drugs that don't work correctly on you.

I typically try to limit myself to only 2 caffeine drinks a day.

It's possible the tests can be wrong I guess. It's also possible I still metabolize it faster than usual but I have some other thing going on that makes me get jittery or anxious from caffeine easily. I suspect what happens is I just get a rush of the effects and then they wear off faster than usual but with a larger effect.

Oh wow, I'm surprised that this is not common knowledge given how common coffee is. I didn't even know it was a thing.

File me under "A cup of coffee feels like a small dose of MDMA"

Lucky you! LOL. Hope it doesnt come with the nasty comedown :P

It's a thin silver lining.

I can't have coffee multiple days in a row, else I'll experience panic attacks (and in that moment i think I'm going to die, nearly reaching for a phone to call 911). And can't partake in coffee ~95% of the time (friends don't have decaf, a ton of nicer coffee shops don't either, and often decaf is neglected so i'm drinking black water). I still love the taste of coffee, so i've kinda been robbed of that unless i'm at home and can make it myself.

1) Slow metabolizers of caffeine have an increased risk of hypertension or a cardiac event with coffee consumption. Whereas fast metabolizers may have net positive health benefits from coffee consumption.

2) We genuinely lack fidelity on so much subjects that we confidently pontificate about. I've read several reports that coffee is a "net positive". Imagine niavely following that advice your entire life only to realize you're a slow metabolizer and you've been increasing your risk by consuming?

There probably so many aspects to our lives that have genetic components that no one knows about or acknowledges. Even to the point where people will shame others.

"I don't understand, I can drink a whole pot of coffee before bed and sleep like a baby. You'll be fine."

"I don't understand, why can't you just eat less and exercise more and then maybe you wouldn't be a fatty?"

They have no clue.

For anyone else who discovers they are a fast metabolizer of coffee: try eating a big breakfast before drinking coffee to slow absorption.

I wanted to be a coffee drinker for YEARS, but it made me really high, and I felt super tired later in the day. I don't know why I didn't connect the dots until I searched my genome, but once you know whether you are a fast or slow metabolizer you can play all sorts of games. I can now drink coffee before dinner, and the crash hits right at bedtime.

For me, I found the secret was eating anything other than cereal (or egg & toast) for breakfast. Those seem to make me jittery. Eating something like yesterday's dinner leftovers for breakfast turns the coffee into an on switch instead of leaving me exhausted but adding jitters and sleeplessness.

Also needs to take into account if/when you're exposed to nicotine since nicotine can affect caffeine metabolism by CYP1A2 depending on your genotype.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3243019/

I think this is me, interesting.

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