Individuals who pick up smoking as teenagers have a much higher risk of becoming heavy smokers as adults. And for some, the risk is even greater depending on their genetics.

A team of researchers from the United States, the U.K. and New Zealand utilized previous research on genetics and smoking to develop a genetic risk profile for individuals who eventually become heavy smokers.

The research revealed individuals with a high-genetic risk for smoking were much more likely to become heavy smokers as adults, but only if they had tried cigarettes as teenagers. Those who were determined to have low-genetic risk were much less likely to progress into heavy smoking, even if they had tried cigarettes when they were younger.

Smoking behavior is a major public health problem, which develops relatively early in life, lead author Dan Belsky, a post-doctoral research fellow at Duke Universitys Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, told FoxNews.com. We know from studies in families that genetics makes a difference in who becomes hooked on cigarettes and who doesnt. Relatives who share more genes are more similar in their smoking behavior.

- Dan Belsky, lead author for the study

Belsky noted their research was based on large genome-wide association studies (GWAS) from 2010 on smoking behavior, in which scientists looked across entire genomes to identify variants linked with heavy smoking. Those studies identified variants in single nucleotide polymorphisms located in and around two groups of genes the nicotine receptor genes, which control how the brain responds to nicotine, and the CYP2A6 region, which is responsible for nicotine metabolism in the liver.

What the studies did not show was when these genetic risks first manifest. Belsky and his team also wanted to know if early manifestation of these genetic risk factors were critical to the genetic influence on adult smoking problems.

To better understand how these genetic variations influence behavior, the scientists followed 1,000 New Zealanders from birth to the age of 38, analyzing their smoking habits in relation to their known genetic risk. Utilizing the genetic risk score developed to predict heavy smoking among individuals, the researchers cross analyzed an individuals risk score with their smoking habits throughout the course of the lives.

Pack-a-day by 18

Ultimately, the results showed that genetic risk was best at predicting whether or not a teenager who tried cigarettes grew to become a heavy smoker.

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Genetics may determine who becomes a heavy smoker

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