Is your choice of the morning a pot of tea or a strong mug of coffee? The choices you make may indicate more than would first appear.

“People drink coffee for all sorts of reasons – as a pick me up when they’re feeling tired, because it tastes good, or simply because it’s part of their daily routine,” explained Prof Hyppönen Director of UniSA’s Australian Centre for Precision Health .

Professor Hyppönen and her team have found that people with high blood pressure, angina, and arrythmia were more likely to drink less coffee, decaffeinated coffee or avoid coffee altogether compared to those without such symptoms, and that this was based on genetics.

Prof Hyppönen continued:

“People subconsciously self-regulate safe levels of caffeine based on how high their blood pressure is, and this is likely a result of a protective genetic a mechanism.

“What this means is that someone who drinks a lot of coffee is likely more genetically tolerant of caffeine, as compared to someone who drinks very little.

“Conversely, a non-coffee drinker, or someone who drinks decaffeinated coffee, is more likely prone to the adverse effects of caffeine, and more susceptible to high blood pressure.”

The researchers used data from the UK Biobank and examined the habitual coffee consumption of 390,435 people.

Prof Hyppönen says how much coffee we drink is likely to be an indicator of our cardio health.

“Whether we drink a lot of coffee, a little, or avoid caffeine altogether, this study shows that genetics are guiding our decisions to protect our cardio health.

“If your body is telling you not to drink that extra cup of coffee, there’s likely a reason why.

“Listen to your body, it’s more in tune with what your health than you may think.”