"Smoking and DNA Changes: A Multiethnic Study"
A large-scale study funded by the National Institutes of Health explored the link between smoking and DNA methylation across six racial and ethnic groups, identifying 408 DNA methylation markers related to smoking, including two that differed depending on race or ethnicity. The study, published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, used data from 2,728 participants and found that smoking was linked to DNA methylation at 408 sites, with two sites showing significant risk differences based on race or ethnicity. The findings could lead to better prediction, early detection, and treatment for smoking-related conditions, as well as improve understanding of why some populations face a higher lung cancer risk than others.