Why taste for coffee is all in the genes

By Mark Henderson, Science Editor
Times Newspapers Ltd.

A TASTE for espresso in the morning may be genetic, according to research that has identified the first known receptor cells for caffeine.

Scientists have discovered that a single protein determines whether fruit flies eat sugar laced with caffeine or avoid its bitter taste.

It is not yet known whether the gene that controls production of the protein, Gr66a, has a similar effect in humans, but the discovery of a caffeine receptor does suggest that a taste for coffee is likely to be affected by genes.

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