| September 2, 2004
New Penn Study Shows Genes May
Affect
the Rewarding Value of Food after Quitting Smoking
(Philadelphia, PA) - A study by researchers at the
Tobacco Use Research Center of the
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
indicates that the rewarding value of food increases
for smokers with a particular genetic background when
they quit smoking. This study also indicates that increases
in the rewarding value of food predict weight gain in
the subsequent 6 months. This research will appear in
the August issue of Psychopharmacology.
“This study provides new evidence that the increase
in body weight that occurs following quitting is related
to increases in food reward and that food reward is
partially affected by genetic factors,” said lead
author, Caryn Lerman, Ph.D., Associate
Director for Cancer Control and Population Science at
the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania
and Professor in Penn’s School of Medicine and
the Annenberg Public Policy Center.
Dr. Lerman led a research team that examined the rewarding
value of food for seventy-one smokers enrolled in a
clinical trial of bupropion and placebo for smoking
cessation. Participants provided blood samples and received
bupropion or placebo plus seven sessions of behavioral
group counseling. Smoking status, abstinence symptoms
and side effects were recorded weekly, and smoking status
and weight were verified at the end of treatment and
again at six-month follow-up. Participants also took
part in two behavioral laboratory sessions, one before
treatment began and one following three weeks of study
medication and one week of abstinence. At each session
the rewarding value of food was assessed.
Researchers studied both variants of the dopamine D2
receptor gene (DRD2). They found that smokers
with the less common DRD2 variant (A1) exhibited
significant increases in the rewarding value of food
following abstinence from smoking. Higher levels of
food reward following quitting smoking predicted significant
increases in weight by 6-month follow-up
However, smokers with the less common (A1) variant
who were treated with bupropion did not experience significant
weight gain at 6 months follow-up. This suggests that
bupropion may be an effective treatment for smokers
who are more likely to experience increases in food
reward and weight gain after quitting.
This research has important implications for the development
of more effective treatment strategies that are tailored
to individual smokers’ needs. “Since weight
gain is a major barrier to quitting smoking, and can
increase the chances of smoking relapse, developing
tailored treatments to address this issue could have
a major positive impact on public health,” said
Lerman.
This research was funded by the National Cancer Institute
and the National Institute on Drug Abuse and was conducted
by the University of Pennsylvania Transdisciplinary
Tobacco Use Research Center.
For
a printer friendly version of this release,
click
here.
###
The Abramson Cancer Center
of the University of Pennsylvania was established in
1973 as a center of excellence in cancer research, patient
care, education and outreach. Today, the Abramson Cancer
Center ranks as one of the nation’s best in cancer
care, according to US News and World Report, and is
one of the top five in National Cancer Institute (NCI)
funding. It is one of only 39 NCI-designated comprehensive
cancer centers in the United States. Home to one of
the largest clinical and research programs in the world,
the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania
has 275 active cancer researchers and 250 Penn physicians
involved in cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
More information about the Abramson Cancer Center is
available at: www.pennhealth.com/cancer
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