University of Michigan scientists may help explain why for some smokers the first cigarette brings them waves of pleasures while for other people it brings on nausea and coughing.

The first category includes persons that are much more likely to go on to become regular smokers because they have a gene type implicated in the development of lung cancer that increases their addiction risk.

Besides factors such as social pressure or environmental conditions, someone’s decision to carry on smoking can be determined by a gene, called CHRNA5, which has already been highlighted by other studies into nicotine addiction.

The gene controls a key nicotine receptor. The findings suggest that a certain genetic make-up can raise the risk for lung cancer.

Researchers analyzed data obtained from 435 volunteers, some of whom were regular smokers, and some who had tried cigarettes but were not currently smokers. They were asked to describe their first smoking experience. Smokers in the study were eight times more likely than nonsmokers to report that their first smoking experience was pleasurable.

“It appears that for people who have a certain genetic make-up, the initial physical reaction to smoking can play a significant role in determining what happens next,” said Ovide Pomerleau, founder of the University of Michigan’s Nicotine Research Laboratory. “If cigarette smoking is sustained, nicotine addiction can occur in a few days to a few months - the finding of a genetic association with pleasurable early smoking experiences may help explain how people get addicted,” he added.

The research appears in the journal Addiction.