Abstract

Aims: The purpose of this study was to determine the association between the nicotine metabolic rate and smoking behavior, including addiction, in adolescent smokers. Design: Baseline data from a prospective study of adolescent smoking behaviors and nicotine metabolism. Setting: The setting was an out-patient university hospital in San Francisco. Participants: Adolescent smokers aged 13-17 years old. Measurements: Participants completed self-report measures of smoking behavior and nicotine dependence. The nicotine metabolite ratio, a phenotypic marker of the rate of nicotine metabolism, was calculated using the ratio of concentrations of deuterium-labeled 3′-hydroxycotinine to cotinine-d4. Findings: Participants reported smoking a mean of 2.86 cigarettes per day [median=1.78, standard deviation =3.35] for 1.37 years. Results from multivariate analyses accounting for age, race/ethnicity, gender and duration of smoking indicated that slower metabolizers smoked more CPD than faster metabolizers. Slower metabolizers also showed greater dependence on the mFTQ. Conclusions: In adolescence, slower clearance of nicotine may be associated with greater levels of addiction, perhaps mediated by a greater number of cigarettes smoked. © 2012 The Authors, Addiction © 2012 Society for the Study of Addiction.