Risk from smoking due to genetics

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Dec. 20 (UPI) -- Smokers without a defect in a gene controlling cholesterol metabolism may not have heart attacks any sooner than non-smoking peers, a U.S. study found.

Dr. Ilan Goldenberg, of the University of Rochester Medical Center and Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, Israel, said the link between smoking and heart disease was established decades ago but scientists were unclear of the reasons why.

The study, published in the Annals of Noninvasive Electrocardiology, found that smokers with the genetic defect had their first heart attack eight to nine years earlier than non-smokers.

However, smokers with a healthy version of the gene had their first heart attack three years earlier than non-smokers -- a difference the researchers considered non-significant.

"Since the frequency of this 'bad' gene in the general population is about 60 percent, many people who smoke have a high risk of experiencing a heart attack at a young age," Goldenberg said in a statement. "This finding should increase awareness for smoking cessation."