Scientists identified three genetic mutations that increase the number of cigarettes people smoke a day

Scientists identified three genetic mutations that increase the number of cigarettes people smoke a day.

And several genes appear to dictate how likely you are to take up smoking and how easily you can quit.

Three separate studies collected data from 140,000 people, with the results published in the journal Nature Genetics.

A previous study two years ago found a common single-letter change in the genetic code linked to nicotine addiction and lung cancer risk.

This new research confirms this discovery and also pinpoints two more genetic variants that seem to increase cigarette consumption among smokers.

Lung cancer risk

The new single-letter mutations, known as single nucleotide polymorphisms or SNPs, lie in regions of the DNA molecule containing genes believed to influence nicotine addiction.

In smokers, each copy of the variants was associated with a small increase in smoking consumption equivalent to about half a cigarette a day.

However they also conferred a 10% increase in lung cancer risk, raising questions about their effect.

It is not clear whether the variants simply drive people to smoke more, or increase susceptibility to cancer as well.

The University of North Carolina, Oxford University and Icelandic company deCODE were all involved in the research.

Dr Kari Stefansson, researcher and executive chairman of deCODE, stressed that smoking is bad for anyone's health.

"But it is even worse for some, and our discoveries continue to strengthen our ability to identify who those people are and give them a compelling reason to quit."

Amanda Sandford, research manager at ASH, a public health charity, cautioned that any potential benefits from this research were still a long way in the future.

"Smokers who want to quit should not wait for treatment tailored to their genetic make-up.

"There is an abundance of advice and treatments available already to help people stop smoking," she said.

source:- bbc

The Story Of The Bull

There were four Cows. One of them was white and the other three were black. They used to live in a dangerous area surrounded by wolves. The way they protected themselves was that they were always together, they would stick together, watch out for each other, everyone was keeping an attentative eye, and they survived, even though the area was surrounded by wild beasts.

But the three black cows had a meeting one day. And they said, “This white cow is giving us away. When we try to hide at night, because we are black no one can see us, but the enemy is able to see the white cow, so why don’t we just let him go. The three of us will be together and let’s just let the white cow go away because he is just too much trouble.” So now from that day on, the three black cows would be on one side and the poor white cow is alone. They boycotted the white cow.

Now the wolf is very intelligent. He was able to detect the disunity that was amongst these cows. So he made his move and he attacked the white cow, and while he was devouring his flesh, the three black cows were doing nothing. They were watching it, while their brother was being torn into pieces!

But the following night, the wolf attacked the three black cows, why? Because now there were one cow short. So they were not as strong as they were the day before. Because they let down their brother white cow, now the wolf attacked them and was able to snatch away one of the black cows. And now we only have two left.

So the following night, it was an even easier thing for the wolf because only two are left, so he ate one of them. And then on the final night there was only one cow left and the cow was trying frantically to run away from the wolf, but now the cow has no supporter and no helper. So the wolf is pursing it with confidence and he knows this cow will get tired and fall down, there’s nothing the cow could do. Nobody to help him, so the wolf is walking around very happily with confidence, and he pounced at the cow and grabbed him by the neck, and while he did that and the cow was pronouncing his last words, he made a very important statement, a statement that is a great lesson that we can learn from. This black cow said, (while he was dying), “I was eaten, the day the white cow was eaten. I had signed on my execution form, the day I allowed the white cow to be eaten, that’s when I died. I didn’t die now, I didn’t die today…I died when I allowed the wolf to eat the white cow”