FEEL THE NEED for another latte? Well your caffeine craving is all down to you genes, according to new research.

US researchers studying genetic variations in a group of over 40,000 people found that two stretches of DNA were linked to high consumption of caffeine through tea, coffee, chocolate and soft drinks. People who had the gene for caffeine dependence typically consumed about 40 mg more caffeine – about a third of a cup of coffee – every day, Time magazine reports.

The stretches of DNA associated with high caffeine consumption contain two genes which researcher believe are involved in the way the body processes the substance, the BBC reports. The first gene, called CYP1A2, has been found to break down caffeine in the body while the second gene, named AHR, helps to regulate the first.

Study author Dr Neil Caporaso, of the National Cancer Institute in Maryland, said: “for the first time, we know specific genes that influence the amount of caffeine that individuals consume”.

“It’s been known for decades that this CYP1A2 gene is what metabolized caffeine – but using new technology, what we showed for the first time is that it appears responsible for the inherited differences in how people drink coffee” Caporaso continued. “The point is that the way we drink caffeine is not just random – it’s related to the genetic hand of cards you were dealt.”

The study has been published in the journal PLoS Genetics.