A recent study by the University of Kentucky sheds light on why women may find quitting smoking harder than men. The research suggests the female sex hormone, estrogen, might be playing a key role in nicotine addiction.
The study found that women become dependent on nicotine faster than men and experience more difficulty quitting. Researchers led by Sally Pauss investigated this disparity and discovered a potential link to olfactomedin, a protein involved in the brain's reward system.
Interestingly, nicotine appears to suppress the production of olfactomedin. Since estrogen increases olfactomedin expression, the interplay between these three elements might explain why women struggle more with nicotine addiction.
These findings, published in the journal of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, hold promise for developing new smoking cessation treatments specifically tailored to women. The researchers hope these advancements will empower women to overcome smoking addiction.
"Studies show that women have a higher propensity to develop addiction to nicotine than men and are less successful at quitting," said Sally Pauss, who is working under the supervision of Terry D Hinds Jr, an associate professor. "Our work aims to understand what makes women more susceptible to nicotine use disorder to reduce the gender disparity in treating nicotine addiction."
"Our research has the potential to better the lives and health of women struggling with substance use," she said. "If we can confirm that estrogen drives nicotine seeking and consumption through olfactomedins, we can design drugs that might block that effect by targeting the altered pathways. These drugs would hopefully make it easier for women to quit nicotine."
