6 ms·

Susceptibility to lung cancer due to smoking is at least partly genetic. If you have certain variants of a specific gene (don't have time for the lit search ri

by DevX101 15y ago

Susceptibility to lung cancer due to smoking is at least partly genetic. If you have certain variants of a specific gene (don't have time for the lit search right now), smoking won't significantly increase your chances of lung cancer. The problem is not everyone has this gene variant, and you probably don't want to be playing Russian Roullette with your health.

itmag 15y ago
Does this mean a person can potentially get tested for this, and find out that they have a free pass to smoke as much as they want?
- vijayr 15y ago
  That would be a very interesting scenario. few hours of testing, and we get a report like this "Here bob, you can smoke these (a, b, c) but you can't smoke these (d,e,f). Also you can drink everything, except these (1,2,3). Now go have fun"
- pbourke 15y ago
  Smoking also causes heart disease, lung problems, etc.
- deleted 15y ago
  [deleted]
- DrPhish 15y ago
  Don't forget that, even if the health-care costs are zero, the financial costs of smoking are non-trivial. In addition to the costs of the cigarettes themselves, there is associated wear on one's home, car and clothes. You can also make arguments for the opportunity costs of time spent smoking, but that's harder to measure.
  - anamax 15y ago
    Don't forget that there are significant benefits to smoking as well. Yes, even for people who it will kill. (In fact, that's probably one of the benefits for some.)
    - DrPhish 15y ago
      Could you expand on that? I'd be interested in hearing what the benefits are, as it doesn't seem to be something that is talked about (taboo against discussing the positive aspects of things seen as societally undesirable?).
      - freehunter 15y ago
        I am a user of the e-cigarettes for these benefits he mentioned. I don't like that term, I prefer personal vaporizer, since cigarettes contain much more than just nicotine and vegetable glycol. Particularly for me, I like the increased awareness, concentration, and focus that come from the stimulant effect. When I need to do a code sprint or do a double shift, that plus coffee will keep me awake, focused, and able to work longer than I would normally have been able to. The drug is also useful for appetite suppression (similar again to coffee). Again useful for code sprints or late shifts when getting up for a snack or going for lunch would be counter-productive. Some people claim nicotine is a relaxant in the correct dose. I have not personally experienced this, the same may not be true of the pure nicotine found in my delivery method of choice. I won't say it's without risk. Even with e-cigs, there's not enough data to show any long term harm that they may have (although the ingredients separately and with a different vaporization method have been medically approved and are commonly found in asthma inhalers, minus the nicotine). Any stimulant use/abuse carries risks. You have to take that into account before deciding to use one, and limit yourself to using it only when you need the benefits. Here's the Wikipedia article that explains with some sources how nicotine affects the body. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicotine#Psychoactive_effects https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicotine#Psychoactive_effects)
        lupatus 15y ago
        Ever try a nicotine patch?
- araneae 15y ago
  Smoking causes cells to mutate. So no. Mutation is unpredictable and there is no "immutable" cell. Just some are more susceptible to the effects of certain common mutations than others.
- DanBC 15y ago
  Not getting cancer doesn't avoid all the other health problems. Those may not kill you but do have a significant effect on quality of life. But sure, informed consent is a good thing.
lincolnq 15y ago
OK, the gene is called CHRNA5 and it seems to be related to a nicotine receptor. Here's where I found that: http://www.nature.com/ng/journal/v40/n5/abs/ng.109.html http://www.nature.com/ng/journal/v40/n5/abs/ng.109.html According to that article, the SNPs in question are rs1051730 and rs8034191. 23andme tests for both. (My results indicate that I'm at lower risk, but I'm still not going to pick up a pack of cigarettes anytime soon :)
- eurleif 15y ago
  I find it surprising that a nicotine receptor-related gene would have anything to do with lung cancer risk, since it's supposed to be the tar in cigarette smoke that causes most of the carcinogenic effect, not the nicotine. I wonder if that means smokeless e-cigarettes aren't much healthier than normal cigarettes.

by DevX101 15y ago

itmag 15y ago

Does this mean a person can potentially get tested for this, and find out that they have a free pass to smoke as much as they want?

vijayr 15y ago
That would be a very interesting scenario. few hours of testing, and we get a report like this "Here bob, you can smoke these (a, b, c) but you can't smoke these (d,e,f). Also you can drink everything, except these (1,2,3). Now go have fun"
pbourke 15y ago
Smoking also causes heart disease, lung problems, etc.
deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
DrPhish 15y ago
Don't forget that, even if the health-care costs are zero, the financial costs of smoking are non-trivial. In addition to the costs of the cigarettes themselves, there is associated wear on one's home, car and clothes. You can also make arguments for the opportunity costs of time spent smoking, but that's harder to measure.
- anamax 15y ago
  Don't forget that there are significant benefits to smoking as well. Yes, even for people who it will kill. (In fact, that's probably one of the benefits for some.)
  - DrPhish 15y ago
    Could you expand on that? I'd be interested in hearing what the benefits are, as it doesn't seem to be something that is talked about (taboo against discussing the positive aspects of things seen as societally undesirable?).
    - freehunter 15y ago
      I am a user of the e-cigarettes for these benefits he mentioned. I don't like that term, I prefer personal vaporizer, since cigarettes contain much more than just nicotine and vegetable glycol. Particularly for me, I like the increased awareness, concentration, and focus that come from the stimulant effect. When I need to do a code sprint or do a double shift, that plus coffee will keep me awake, focused, and able to work longer than I would normally have been able to. The drug is also useful for appetite suppression (similar again to coffee). Again useful for code sprints or late shifts when getting up for a snack or going for lunch would be counter-productive. Some people claim nicotine is a relaxant in the correct dose. I have not personally experienced this, the same may not be true of the pure nicotine found in my delivery method of choice. I won't say it's without risk. Even with e-cigs, there's not enough data to show any long term harm that they may have (although the ingredients separately and with a different vaporization method have been medically approved and are commonly found in asthma inhalers, minus the nicotine). Any stimulant use/abuse carries risks. You have to take that into account before deciding to use one, and limit yourself to using it only when you need the benefits. Here's the Wikipedia article that explains with some sources how nicotine affects the body. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicotine#Psychoactive_effects https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicotine#Psychoactive_effects)
      - lupatus 15y ago
        Ever try a nicotine patch?
araneae 15y ago
Smoking causes cells to mutate. So no. Mutation is unpredictable and there is no "immutable" cell. Just some are more susceptible to the effects of certain common mutations than others.
DanBC 15y ago
Not getting cancer doesn't avoid all the other health problems. Those may not kill you but do have a significant effect on quality of life. But sure, informed consent is a good thing.

lincolnq 15y ago

OK, the gene is called CHRNA5 and it seems to be related to a nicotine receptor. Here's where I found that: http://www.nature.com/ng/journal/v40/n5/abs/ng.109.html http://www.nature.com/ng/journal/v40/n5/abs/ng.109.html According to that article, the SNPs in question are rs1051730 and rs8034191. 23andme tests for both. (My results indicate that I'm at lower risk, but I'm still not going to pick up a pack of cigarettes anytime soon :)

eurleif 15y ago
I find it surprising that a nicotine receptor-related gene would have anything to do with lung cancer risk, since it's supposed to be the tar in cigarette smoke that causes most of the carcinogenic effect, not the nicotine. I wonder if that means smokeless e-cigarettes aren't much healthier than normal cigarettes.