I had genetic testing done at 23andme.com and found I metabolize coffee slowly. That is rather hard on the heart, apparently. Anyway, I decided this was reason enough to finally give it up. I'm down to one cup a day in the AM. I use instant and it tastes like crap. I think I can probably give that up any time now.

I do have decaf throughout the day. I'll give that up next.

Well good for you !! I never drank coffee, I am allergic. But I think it is really bad for most people. What is your DNA haplogroup???

Last January, I gave up my tea, which is what replaced my coffee habit which had replaced my 7-shots/day espresso habit. By the end of a month, I remember waking up one day and feeling mentally THERE, immediately. it was really nice. My performance in all my morning activities (so far, that's been calc-based physics classes) improved, which astounded me. I also sleep better.

I hope that when you get to the stage of having given it up that you notice some really wonderful things, too.

Also, thanks for mentioning 23andme. I just had a MTHFR blood test (heterozygous for C677T mutation) and am really curious as to what other secrets my DNA might be hiding.

Oh hmmm... I'm not sure! I'll have to look into that.

I have a nasty homozygous gene for deep vein thrombosis. I need to avoid taking estrogen and be very careful about sitting too much. I'm kind of glad I got the test done, I was considering HRT.

Oddly enough they said I was at lower risk for Celiac disease, but Enterolab said I had one of the main celiac genes.


Me too! I've quit before, but I think I always replaced it with something like tea, which probably had caffeine too.

Oh, I downloaded the raw data from 23andMe and ran it through Prometease and found I have genes which mean I don't convert beta-carotene to retinol very well. I might be one that should take some cod liver oil.

I also found I had a number of genes associated with obesity. Oh, and a gene that causes me to product too much Sex hormone binding globulin and it also predisposes me to having Graves disease (which I had).

It isn't all bad! I have a homozygous gene for fast-twitch types of muscles. They said world class sprinters have that a lot. Hee hee... no sprinter, I. I also have genes for better than average episodic memory and intelligence. Oh yes, and a gene for a sweet tooth.

Wow! Such interesting stuff.

I have heterozygous (one gene) Factor V Leiden which is a genetic blood clotting disorder. Yours is a two gene disorder. Please do take it seriously and be careful! I have had several deep vein thrombosis' and a pulmonary embolism (blood clot in my lung). I have spent much time in the hospital, have had surgery to get a vena cava filter, and am on warfarin for life. It has not been fun. Besides avoiding sitting too much and hormones, you need to be careful not to over exercise and cause muscle damage (think this is more of a factor with people that don't normally exercise) or to over-eat Vit K foods (EASY to do with eating healthy on Atkins!!!) unless you have a regular day to day intake (pretty even amounts).

Not trying to scare you AT ALL....some people with these genetic disorders NEVER have a problem/show symptoms. But being pro-active and aware can mean a WORLD of difference.

This is inherited and interestingly enough I didn't know who I'd inherited it from. I suspected from my mom's side since my dear grandfather had circulatory issues. It was confirmed after my mom tried to get a dialysis port in her arm that failed twice due to the blood clotting around the entry. She finally thought to tell her doc about my genetic disorder and got tested....and she tested positive. They were able to work around the problem. So back to some people never having a problem, but the need to be pro-active and aware.

I'm sorry this was so long. I just feel compelled to share my story when this comes up. These clotting disorders are nothing to mess around with and if I can save one life by sharing my story - even if 1,000 people are aggravated....

WOW, I am thinking about getting that test. I have had the gene test at enterolab - two gluten intolerance genes & I have had my full maternal DNA done a Family Tree DNA.

Oh wait... I am heterozygous, I think.


Okay, but I don't have the A version.

Okay, I see that SNPopedia has a pretty good description. i3002432 is also called rs1799963.

My maternal haplogroup is T2b. What's yours?

Fascinating stuff. Thanks for sharing all that, Nancy and Freckles.

Okay, been 3 days or so without any caffeine at all! Yay! I'm still drinking decaf coffee but hopefully I'll let that go as soon as my current can is finished. I noticed I'm sleeping a bit better, but it might be also because of a change in my thyroid meds too.

I really wanted a diet coke tonight, but didn't want to have the caffeine. I also have been wanting some iced tea, but once again the caffeine is no good for me!

I was able to give up caffeine easily when I started drinking kefir. No clue how that worked but I have been off coffee for months.

Peppermint makes a good iced tea, imo. And you could always use a decaf English breakfast or other decaf black tea, and add some lemon or whatever.

CONGRATS on your caffeine free days!!! I know from experience that it's a HUGE accomplishment! I quit caffeine when I went lc the first time and it was a week or more of H#$L. Now when I want a soda I drink caffeine free diet coke or Diet Rite (which is caffeine free and made with Splenda). No need to go without soda...though going without would be even better caffeine or not....

I've been drinking those "fruit water" things which are caffeine free and carbonated. For some reason caffeine free diet coke just tastes weird. It is a bit odd.

God, I couldn't go cold turkey on caffeine... I think that would have killed me! I just cut down gradually over months.

It DID feel like I was dying!!! It was a horrible week spent mostly in bed. Cutting back like you did would not have worked for me, unfortunately, so I'm even more impressed.