GWAS Shows Correlation of Cannabis Use Disorder with Lung Cancer

 The Genetic Basis of Cannabis Use Disorder and Lung Cancer

    A recent GWAS from Nature shows a correlation between lung cancer susceptibility and cannabis use disorder. This study was a meta-analysis between nearly 1 million individuals of European, African, mixed American, and East Asian ancestries and it examined single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) heritability. Using this data, the researchers found that 22 loci were associated with the susceptibility of lung cancer, but in each group, the expression of the SNPs was different. For instance, the East Asian sample group's SNPs were intronic to the semaphorin 6D-encoding gene, whereas the American group was an intergenic region downstream of leucine-rich repeats containing the semaphorin 6D-encoding gene. They used a comparative analysis of psychiatric symptoms and found many overlapping associations between cannabis use disorder and the likelihood of developing lung cancer. This association comes from a likelihood of becoming a smoker and resorting to cigarettes, which would most likely, in turn, result in a greater risk for lung cancer in those populations.

    I found this study to be very interesting and it definitely shines some light on the addictive manner of cannabis and cannabis-containing products. The biological mechanism of cannabis and the cannabinoids involved are still not fully known, which I think is a long-term danger in regards to smoking/consuming cannabis products. Furthermore, those with cannabis use disorder being at a greater likelihood for developing lung cancer is scary to think about and could considerably be an element of medicine/psychiatry to dig deeper to in the meantime. Nevertheless, going forward I think we should be more conscientious of what we are breathing in and consuming, because with lung cancer being the top cause of death, that should be enough to scare us into treating our bodies better. 

Links:

1. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-023-01563-z 

2. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20231123/Genome-study-unveils-genetic-ties-between-cannabis-use-disorder-and-lung-cancer-risk.aspx 

Coffee dependence and Genetics?

Some people heavily rely on their morning coffee to start their day, while others avoid coffee. The dependence on caffeine could be because of our genes - in particular the CYP1A2 gene. This gene is in charge of the CYP1A2 enzyme which is responsible for breaking down caffeine in the body.  The gene expresses a slow metabolizer or a fast metabolizer. A study showed that a slow metabolizer could drink 4 cups of coffee and be linked to a higher chance of a heart attack, but a fast metabolizer could drink the same amount and not have any link to a higher chance of a heart attack.

Another gene that can also be accountable for how much coffee an individual consumes is the AHR gene. The gene controls how much of CYP1A2 enzyme are produced. The more CYP1A2 enzymes are produced the faster caffeine is metabolized in the body which will then increase the amount of coffee an individual drinks.

Alcoholism Has To Do With Genetics

In the article, “Link between genetic variation, alcohol dependence found” in Science Daily, they found information that may explain how alcoholism is partly because of genetics. Many people have problems with alcohol use and many of the people go untreated. It is estimated that 18 million people in the United States have such a problem. The treatments that they have for alcoholism are scarce and not that helpful because of the genetics behind it. If they understood the genetics of alcoholism they could make a more effective treatment and even tell if people are more susceptible to alcohol abuse. The researches examined switching defective/sucrose nonfermenting (SWI/SNF) in roundworms. They chose roundworms because their genetic make up is similar to ours. They found that the alcoholism is because of mutations in many genes. Each mutation is a small mutation, but when they add up they can be the reason for alcohol dependence. The same effects in worms are seen in humans, so they just need to do further research.

Alcoholism is a very serious disease. Many people are affected by it and many people do not want to admit that they have a problem. Like many other things, some people have a higher disposition to certain things. And I definitely think that some people are more susceptible to alcohol dependence than others through genetics. There are many families that have alcoholism that runs in the family. If they could find out where the mutations are occurring then many people can receive help that is accurate and effective. If they continue to do research, I think that we can find a new effective treatment soon.