A fan of black coffee and dark chocolate? It's in your genes, a new study says

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(CNN)Prefer your coffee black? Then you probably like dark, bitter chocolate, according to new research identifying a genetic basis for those preferences.

If that's you, then congratulations -- you are the lucky genetic winner of a trait that may offer you a boost toward good health, according to caffeine researcher Marilyn Cornelis, an associate professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

"I tell people my cup of tea is coffee research," Cornelis said. "It's a hot topic."

Why hot? Because studies find moderate amounts of black coffee -- between 3 and 5 cups daily -- has been shown to lower the risk of certain diseases, including Parkinson's, heart diseases, Type 2 diabetes and several types of cancer.

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