Genes that may cause tobacco addiction discovered

The desire to give up could be genetic rather than down to willpower, a study of thousands of puffers’ DNA has found.

Two genes were found to be linked to the nicotine dependence while two others were connected to nicotine metabolism.

They can cause a desire for an extra half a cigarette per day on top of the usual intake and raise the likelihood of developing lung cancer, the report states.

The findings could result in more personalised, and therefore more effective, treatments to help smokers give up.

‘Smoking is bad for anyone’s health. It is even worse for some,’ said the report’s lead author, Prof Kari Stefansson, head of Decode Genetics in Reykjavik.

‘These variants suggest that those for whom nicotine is more addictive are driven to smoke more, increasing their exposure to environmental risk.’

Prof Stefansson, whose study is in Nature Genetics, added that the discovery of the variants ‘gives us a solid starting point for finding answers to advance personal and public health’.