The importance of CYP1A2 genetic polymorphism in relation to coffee intake and high blood pressure in the Romanian population

Cytochrome P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) is known to be the main enzyme directly responsible for caffeine metabolism. The rs762551 (NC_000015.10:g.74749576C > A) is a single nucleotide polymorphism characterized by higher enzyme activity in the presence of an inducer such as heavy coffee consumption and its protective role against developing cardiovascular diseases, including high blood pressure. In this comprehensive study, we aim to evaluate any association between coffee intake, CYP1A2 polymorphism, the presence of high blood pressure, and their potential role in cardiovascular outcomes. For 355 individuals, a PCR technique was performed using TaqMan SNP genotyping Assay, analyzing rs762551 on LightCycler 480 (Roche) with Gene Scanning software version 1.5.1 (Roche). Using binomial logistic regression, we found that the individuals who consumed more than three cups of coffee per day are less likely to fit in the slow coffee metabolizers category with an odds ratio of 0.386 and p = 0.033. Another important finding would be the fact that the fast coffee metabolizers (AA genotype) consume larger coffee quantities, although they present the lowest tensional values and the highest values for cholesterol and glucose. When approaching the hypertensive subjects, they show lower coffee consumption and lower caffeine levels, compared to the control group. The main conclusion of this study would be that only coffee intake and genotype are statistically related, although no statistically significant associations regarding the high blood pressure have been found.