See my New York Times letter commenting on the effects of caffeine on exercise!
Your inherent (genetically coded) rate of metabolizing caffeine has an influence on its effect on exercise. That rate is determined by how rapidly or slowly working the enzyme is that processes caffeine. The particular enzyme responsible is known as CYP4501A2 (catchy name!). Our genetic makeup determines the exact configuration of that enzyme, which in turn controls whether it is fast or slow. However, other outside factors may influence the products of our genes, like CYP4501A2. For example, I was aware that cigarette smoking induces (or speeds up) this enzyme. So, as the Times article showed that fast 1A2 metabolizers got more of an oomph from caffeine, I added an observation about cigarette smoking and caffeine consumption. Here’s the letter!
By the way, when I do genetic testing, this is one of many items that I look at because this same enzyme is also responsible for processing some medication. Also, some medications can speed up or slow down this and other enzymes, affecting the levels of other medication you might be on. So, applying clinical knowledge to the results of genetic testing is important in optimizing treatment for conditions like depression, anxiety and ADD/ADHD!
In the best of mental health!
Dr. Ranen
This post was originated on Dr. Neal Ranen.com April 2018