New research suggests that intake and breakdown of nicotine vary between ethnic groups, which helps explain why lung cancer rates vary too.

Chinese-Americans have a lower rate of lung cancer than other ethnic groups, even when they smoke heavily. It's possible this is related to genetic factors in the way nicotine is handled. To investigate this, researchers at the University of California investigated nicotine intake and metabolism in a group of 131 volunteers, all healthy smokers.

Thirty seven of the group were Chinese American, 40 Latino in origin, and the rest white. The Chinese Americans actually took in significantly less nicotine per cigarette than the other two groups, and it was slower to break down. The researchers suggest the slow breakdown may contribute to the reduced intake. In short, the Chinese Americans can smoke fewer cigarettes to get the same satisfaction and this, in turn, puts them less at risk of lung cancer.

The study suggests that differences in nicotine metabolism be taken into account when helping people to stop smoking. It might enable the optimal dose of nicotine-replacement therapy to be prescribed, so the individual has a better chance of quitting.

Source

Journal of the National Cancer Institute January 16 2002