Study: Genetic link to smoking buzz

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Aug. 8 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say the buzz of a person's first cigarette and the tendency to keep smoking may be linked to a gene.

The paper published online in the journal Addiction reports an association between a variant in the CHRNA5 nicotine receptor gene, initial smoking experiences and current smoking patterns.

"It appears that for people who have a certain genetic makeup, the initial physical reaction to smoking can play a significant role in determining what happens next," study senior author Ovide Pomerleau of the University of Michigan Medical School says in a statement.

"The finding of a genetic association with pleasurable early smoking experiences may help explain how people get addicted -- and, of course, once addicted, many will keep smoking for the rest of their lives."

Researchers at the University of Michigan, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill used genetic and smoking data from 435 volunteers and found regular smokers were far more likely than never-smokers to have a less common form of the CHRNA5 gene.