Genetic test for cigarette quitters identified:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
A test to establish how easily a smoker can give up cigarettes may become a reality thanks to the discovery of a genetic change that seems to influence a person's dependence on nicotine. A study of 326 smokers and ex-smokers in Japan found that those lacking one or both copies of the nicotine metabolism gene CYP2A6 are less likely to give up smoking. However, the genetic change was more common in light smokers than heavy smokers. Writing in the July issue of the journal Thorax, the Tokyo University researchers suggest testing for genotype could be useful in efficiently withdrawing patients from cigarettes.