NICOTINE'S GRIP TIGHTER FOR BLACKS?

Health: Research Shows They Absorb More Of The Substance Per Cigarette.

Chicago-Blacks appear to absorb more nicotine per cigarette than smokers of
other races,a finding that could explain why they run a higher risk of lung
cancer and have more trouble kicking the habit,according to research at the
University of California,San Francisco,and elsewhere.

Why blacks seem to get more nicotine from cigarettes isn't clear.
Researchers said there is disagreement over whether it results from
biological differences in the way blacks and whites process nicotine,
differences in smoking habits between the races, or both.

The findings are contained in two studies published in today's Journal of
the American Medical Association.

One study, led by Ralph S. Caraballo of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, measured blood levels of a chemical called cotinine, a
byproduct of the breakdown of nicotine in the body, in a nationally
representative sample of U.S. adult smokers from 1988 to 1991.

Cotinine was measured instead of nicotine because it stays in the body much
longer, and scientists have developed a highly sensitive test for it.

Black smokers had cotinine concentrations substantially higher at all
levels of cigarette smoking than white smokers did, the researchers said.

Previous research indicates black smokers are more likely to try quitting
and have a lower success rate than white smokers. Also, black smokers run a
higher risk of developing lung cancer.

Higher nicotine absorption could help explain the lower quitting rate among
blacks, the researchers said. Also, if blacks have higher cotinine levels
because they inhale more deeply or smoke stronger cigarettes, they also
would take in more cancer-causing substances such as tar.