Once upon a time, a group of very smart people from the University of Toronto did a special study.
These people, called scientists, spend their time learning new things about the world.
They found out something exciting about coffee and our kidneys.
How They Started
They learned that people who drink a lot of coffee might have trouble with their kidneys.
But not all people, just some. It depended on something very special – a tiny part inside our bodies called genes.
It’s All in the Genes
You know, we all have genes inside us. They are like tiny instruction manuals that help our bodies work right.
One of these genes, called CYP1A2, is very important. It tells our bodies how to handle caffeine, the stuff in coffee that keeps us awake.
Quick Workers and Slow Workers
Some people have a version of this gene that works very quickly. They are like race cars, zooming through the caffeine in the coffee, cleaning it out of our bodies.
But some people have a different version of this gene. This version is slower, like a snail, taking more time to clean the caffeine out.
Too Much Coffee?
The scientists found that people who have the snail-like gene and drink a lot of coffee might have trouble with their kidneys.
They might feel sick or have high blood pressure. But people with the race car gene don’t have this problem, even if they drink a lot of coffee.
A Cup or Three?
How much coffee is a lot? The scientists said it’s about three cups or more each day. That’s like drinking three little cups of strong Italian coffee, like espresso. For grown-ups, it’s usually okay to drink up to four cups of coffee.
What’s Common in Us
Interesting, isn’t it? Half of the people in the world have the snail-like gene, and the other half have the race car gene. That’s right, it’s about a fifty-fifty split!
Why It’s Important
We can now do a simple test to find out if we have the race car gene or the snail-like gene.
It can help us know how much coffee is okay for us to drink. This is just one way that our genes can help us make good choices to stay healthy.
What We Should Remember
This research shows how important it is to know about our bodies and how they work. It helps us understand why some foods or drinks might be good for some people and not so good for others.
It’s all about finding what’s right for you. So the next time you pick up a cup of coffee, think about whether you might be a snail or a race car!
Looking After Your Kidneys
Remember, our kidneys are important. They help clean our blood. So we need to look after them. There are lots of ways to do this.
Eating healthy food, staying active, and drinking plenty of water can help. It’s also important to know about any medicines that might be bad for your kidneys.
Further Research
Other scientists are finding out more about how we can keep our kidneys healthy. Some foods might even stop kidney stones from coming back.
There are also new medicines being developed that could help people with diabetes avoid kidney problems.
The clever scientists who did this study were led by a person named Ahmed El-Sohemy. They shared their work with everyone in a big journal called JAMA Network Open.
So, remember kids, knowing about your genes and how they work can help you make healthier choices!
If you care about kidney health, please read studies about how to protect your kidneys from diabetes, and drinking coffee could help reduce the risk of kidney injury.
For more information about kidney health, please see recent studies about foods that may prevent the recurrence of kidney stones, and a blood-pressure-lowering diet can also help reduce the risk of kidney disease.
Copyright © 2023 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
