A simple DNA test can now  help  you  quit
smoking  by identifying the addictive gene in your body  and  can
also   be  used  to  predict  if  your  kids  would  be   smoking
addicts,reveals  a  research conducted by the  Oxford  University
Team.

According  to  the  BBC, the team found that the test  can  be  a
crucial aid in helping people quit smoking as by identifying  the
gene , the most appropriate therapy can be used for the addict as
the findings reveal that people who have the addictive gene, have
a  greater  chance of quitting their habit if they  use  nicotine
replacement  therapy (NRT) and those without the gene are  likely
to succeed if they use other methods nicotine-free methods.

The  NicoTest, developed by g-Nostics, can be carried out in  the
same way as a diabetics self-test for blood-sugar.

The team lead by Dr Rob Walton found that four in 10 smokers with
the "addiction gene" could successfully give up if they used  the
right NRT, double the number of those without the gene who  could
quit with NRT.

"The single largest reason for why people fail to quit smoking is
the side effects of the patches or the products they are taking,"
Mark Tucker, co-founder of g-Nostic, was quoted, as saying.

"What  we  are  offering is a process where they  get  the  right
product  and online support available 24 hours a day for as  long
as they need it," he added.

Walton  added that though the test can be used to predict if  the
kids  have  the  addictive gene, yet a  therapy  to  prevent  the
children from taking up smking is still to be developed.

"I  think many people would like to know whether  their  children
have the gene or not.

But  what we are lacking at the moment is a treatment so  if  you
know  you  have  the gene and you are a  child  you  can  prevent
yourself  becoming  dependent on tobacco. "So there are  lots  of
ethical  issues that need to be sorted out before we could  offer
anything like that," he said.(ANI)