Monday, April 26, 2010

If you smoke too much 'blame your genes' experts say

Sarah Fuerst
B. Kern
English 122
26 April 2010
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8643803.stm

The BBC wrote an article on how researchers have found 3genetic mutations in genes that effects the number of cigarettes a person smokes a day. They have also found that several genes can dictate whether a person picks up smoking or not. In a study performed 2 years ago they found a single letter change to a genetic code that linked nicotine addiction and lung cancer. Still after finding this, researchers are still unsure of whether the variants in the genes drive people to smoke more or make them more susceptible to lung cancer. Researchers are hoping that with this knowledge people will continue to quit smoking.

In a way I feel that this article can persuade someone to make an excuse for why they smoke and to them may make it seem okay because they cannot help it. No matter if they found the gene that relates nicotine addiction and lung cancer, we all know that smoking leads to lung cancer regardless so why should a test to see if you have the gene effect whether you will quit smoking or not?

1 comment:

  1. I agree. Smoking is bad no matter how you look at it. But maybe if I had known years ago that I may be more likely to become addicted to smoking, as opposed to socially smoking sometimes, I probably would have never picked up a cigarette. Both sides of my family have a long history of smoking and I am a smoker as well. I think it is a combination of "nature and nurture" that effects people when it comes to nicotine addiction.

    ReplyDelete