Why are some people who start smoking in their early teens hooked on cigarettes for life, while others find it relatively easy to give up? Scientists at the University of Utah show that genetic differences are part of the answer.
Their research, published on the 11 July in the journal PLoS Genetics, focuses on variations in a gene that determine the structure of the “
nicotine receptor” - the protein in the brain that interacts with nicotine, the most addictive chemical in cigarette smoke.
The researchers studied “
DNA samples from 2,827 long-term smokers. They assessed the level of nicotine dependence and recorded the age at which people began smoking, the number of years they smoked and the average number of cigarettes smoked a day.
One variant of the gene put smokers at greater risk of heavy nicotine dependence as adults but only if they started smoking regularly before the age of 17. A second variant reduced the risk of later addiction.
The authors conclude: “Identification of genetically high-risk individuals who would benefit from proactive interventions, such as adolescent education and cessation clinics, may result in a population with a lower rate of adult nicotine addiction.”
™ Version 4.2