Genes for Nicotine Metabolism
Children who carry a variation of the genes involved in nicotine metablism – CYP1A1, GSTM1, GSTT1 and CYP2A6 – are at greater risk of cardiovascular disease if exposed to secondhand smoke.
Learn more at A Hearty Life.
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All the more reason to not smoke around children. Is there a way to predetermine whether or not your children have these genes that make them more exposed to carcinogens?
Jay: There aren’t any commercially available tests at this point (as far as I’m aware of) that would test children for these genetic variants. And if there were, the prices wouldn’t be too cheap either. The easiest way is just to avoid smoking as one of the most common carcinogenic agents out there!
Oops, I was wrong. Cellf aka Sciona offers commercial tests for GSTM1 and GSTT1.
If you got a hundred dollars or so to spare, you could find out your genotype, but I’d probably be able to find better uses for those dollars….
Sorry, upon further research, I also see there are clinical services available that would test for these genes, e.g., DxS Genotyping.
hsien thanks for the info
I was born with a cleft palate. My parents both smoked. I am 38 years old, live in Los Angeles, and have recently been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. I am curious if you know of any studies on the GSTT1 gene and Fibromyalgia. I definitely felt worse this past week with the fires and ash in the air? It would make sense that if this gene didn’t clear smoke in vitro, that it might still affect me as an adult? Thanks.