Smoker Genes

WASHINGTON (AP) - Researchers say they've found a genetic link that makes people more likely to get hooked on tobacco -- and more likely to get lung cancer.
The discovery by three separate teams of scientists makes the strongest case so far for the biology behind the addiction. It also may shed light on how genetics and cigarettes join forces to cause cancer.
The research shows a smoker who inherits the genetic variation from both parents has an 80 percent greater chance of getting lung cancer than a smoker without the variants. That same smoker on average lights up two extra cigarettes a day and has a much harder time quitting than smokers who don't have these genetic differences.
The author of one study describes the variation as a "double whammy gene."
The three studies are funded by governments in the U.S. and Europe. They're being published tomorrow in the journals Nature and Nature Genetics.

Nature: http://www.nature.com/nature

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