MNT: Genes May Influence Quitting Success

A person's genetic make up may influence their chances of successfully giving up smoking, according to an NIH-funded study published in the 30 May online issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.
The authors say their findings support the idea there should be more individualized treatments to help people quit smoking. The study also suggests there may be a need to use genetic screening to identify those whose genes may make them more susceptible to nicotine addiction.

For their study the researchers investigated the CHRNA5-CHRNA3-CHRNB4 cluster of nicotine receptor genes that are already known to play an important role in nicotine dependence and heavy smoking.

They used data from two studies that had investigated these genes: one was a a community-based, cross-sectional study involving over 5,000 participants, and the other was a randomized comparative effectiveness smoking cessation trial involving over 1,000 people.

Using statistical tools they tested the relationship between measures of smoking cessation (focusing on age at cessation and relapse) and the presence of the high risk form of the gene cluster.

They found that individuals carrying the high-risk form of the gene cluster were more likely to quit when they were older: they reported a 2-year median delay in quit age compared to participants who had the low-risk form of the genes.

There was also a pattern of heavier smoking among the high-risk gene carriers.

The clinical trial data showed that participants with the high-risk versions of the genes who were taking placebo versions of quitting drugs, were more likely to fail attempts to quit compared to low-risk gene carriers.

But, those in the high risk gene group who took medications approved for nicotine cessation, such as bupropion and nicotine replacement therapies, had a higher chance of staying off tobacco than their high risk counterparts who took placebo...

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