Smoking Potentially Affected by Genes

Scientists from Duke University and the National Institute on Drug Abuse have recently examined the possibility that genes may effect the ability to quit smoking, and what method will work best for individual people.

Roughly 100 genes have been picked out that may effect a person's response to either nicotine replacement or bupropion, two common methods used to quit smoking. The research is being lead by Jed Rose who is the director of the Duke University Center for Nicotine and Smoking Cessation Research.

The scientists involved in the study screened the entire human genome, looking for genes that may play a role in nicotine addiction. The genes they identified have different functions, for example, some of the genes code for enzymes that break down bupropion. All humans have the genes that have been identified, but in different forms, which gives everyone an individual response to the different methods for quitting smoking.

Dr. Normal Edelman,a chief medical officer of the American Lung Association, commented on the study and said "It's a wonderful first step, because smoking cessation is a real problem; it's not easy to quit."

Researchers hope to develop a diagnostic process with this new genetic information to find the best way for individual people to quit smoking, to increase the success rate. Currently, 70% to 80% of smokers say they would like to stop smoking, however only 30% of them are successful.