Smoking Gene? UPDATE: Water Not As Healthy As Advertised

So does this mean I have to cut smokers some slack?

"This is kind of a double whammy gene," said Christopher Amos, a professor of epidemiology at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and author of one of the studies. "It also makes you more likely to be dependent on smoking and less likely to quit smoking."

A smoker who inherits these genetic variations from both parents has an 80 percent greater chance of lung cancer than a smoker without the variants, the researchers reported. And that same smoker on average lights up two extra cigarettes a day and has a much harder time quitting than smokers who don't have these genetic differences.

The studies are giving researchers new ideas about treatment for smoking addiction.

LATER:In other health-related news, researchers say drinking eight glasses of water a day doesn't really do anything.

People in hot, dry climates and athletes have an increased need for water, and people with certain diseases do better with increased fluid intake, they found. But for average healthy people, more water does not seem to mean better health, they said.

Now they tell me. I've gotta go pee again, dammit.

posted by Gabriel Malor at 07:23 PM

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