It is unclear whether coffee increases the risk of heart attacks. There is a gene responsible for caffeine metabolism; people can be characterized as fast or slow caffeine metabolizers based on this gene. In this study, slow caffeine metabolizers who drank coffee had a greater risk of heart attack than fast caffeine metabolizers, leading the researchers to conclude that caffeine must play some role in the risk of heart attack. In fact, coffee increased the risk of heart attack only in the slow caffeine metabolizers.
Why have I included this study as pediatric news? Because it shows where modern medicine is headed. In the very near future, it will be possible to genetically screen children and adults for a variety of both diseases and risks. It will make it possible to give patients medications based on the risks of side effects. We may find that some patients need acetaminophen, while others benefit more from ibuprofen, with less risks. We may find that certain infants should not be given wheat until a certain age (research is already starting to discover these associations between genes, diet, and risk of diseases like celiac disease). I don’t think that this is very far off. Screening will be slow at first, expensive, and there will be privacy concerns. But the potential effects on health are enormous. We will be able to target diet, lifestyle, exercise, and medications specifically to individuals based on their genetic makeup, to maximize their potential health and wellbeing.