African-Americans Hooked on Menthol.

• Position: CIGARETTE SMOKING

A genetic variant found only in people of African descent significantly increases a smoker's preference for cigarettes containing menthol, a flavor additive. The variant of the MRG-PRX4 gene is five to eight times more frequent among smokers who use menthol cigarettes than other smokers, according to an international group of researchers supported by the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health. The multiethnic study is the first to look across all genes to identity genetic vulnerability to menthol cigarettes.

Menthol provides a minty taste and a cooling or soothing sensation, and plays a particularly troubling role in U.S. cigarette smoking patterns. The FDA reports that nearly 20,000,000 people in the U.S. smoke menthol cigarettes, which particularly are popular among African-Americans and teens. Eighty-six percent of African-American smokers use menthol cigarettes, compared to less than 30% of smokers of European descent. In addition, menthol cigarettes...