Tobacco.org

Study links gene, nicotine  

A new study released Friday links those different reactions to genetics, said research project leader Ovide Pomerleau, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Michigan Medical School.

Those who experience a pleasurable buzz during their first cigarette are more likely to have a variant of the CHRNA5 nicotine receptor gene.

They're also more likely to become addicted smokers - and more likely to develop lung cancer, previous research has found.

"That's a really surprising element, that the same gene that would make you like it and make you addicted would cause a disease process ... it's a terrible trap,'' Pomerleau said.

For the CHRNA5 study, conducted by a multi-university team, researchers surveyed a total of 435 smokers and non-smokers and took DNA samples.

Jump to full article »