Nicotine dependence and skin color linked

How they conducted the study
The study was conducted during the summer of 2007 on 150 adult African-American smokers. A questionnaire was given to the participants wherein they were asked, amongst other things, about the average number of cigarettes they smoked each day.

The questionnaire intended to study the nicotine dependence of the participants using the Fagerstrom Test of Nicotine Dependence. The researchers also took the measurement of the smokers' cotinine levels, a metabolic byproduct of nicotine normally used as a biomarker for tobacco use.

What the researchers found
Gary King, a biobehavioral health professor at Penn State, said of the results, “We have found that the concentration of melanin is directly related to the number of cigarettes smoked daily, levels of nicotine dependence, and nicotine exposure among African Americans.”

Nicotine’s biochemical affinity for melanin has been established in previous studies as well. This upshot of this relationship is the accretion of the addictive agent in melanin-containing tissues of smokers with bigger amounts of skin pigmentation.

King said, “The point of the study is that, if in fact nicotine does bind to melanin, populations with high levels of melanin could indicate certain types of smoking behavior, dependence, and health outcomes that will be different from those in less pigmented populations. And the addiction process may very well be longer and more severe."

The study could have far reaching health implications for the darker skinned African-American smokers. These smokers are excessively affected with tobacco-related diseases. They also have a tough time quitting smoking.

The researchers said that further research involving larger samples of smokers with varying levels of skin pigmentation needs to be undertaken to have clearer and better results on the subject.

The study will be published in the June issue of the journal Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior.