A New research study has revealed that there is an association between lung disease and smoking behavior, Nature World Report reports.

The study was published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. It was presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) meeting in Amsterdam.

The study was conducted by Professor Ian Hall, University of Nottingham and Professor Martin Tobin, University of Leicester, UK and colleagues.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death worldwide and researchers are trying to understand the genetic basis of lung health and smoking behavior that causes COPD.

In the study, the UK Biobank Lung Exome Variant Evaluation (UK BiLEVE), the authors generated genetic data in the UK Biobank to find out the genetic causes of smoking behaviour and lung health.

For the study, the researchers sampled individuals from the UK Biobank with the best, average or the poorest lung function among heavy smokers and never smokers.

The researchers discovered six genetic variants associated with lung health and COPD. They also found genetic variants in people who had COPD but were non-smokers.

The researchers also discovered five independent genetic variantswhich were associated with heavy smoking, important for the prevention of COPD and other smoking-related diseases,

The authors said, "These findings, taken together with previous findings, will help define pathways underlying predisposition to development of COPD and smoking behaviours. A full understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying these genetic associations will improve our understanding of the pathophysiology of COPD and smoking behaviour, and potentially give rise to novel therapeutic strategies for the management of airway disease and prevention of nicotine addiction."

They added, "We especially wish to thank all the UK Biobank participants, whose willingness to contribute to the study has made these scientific discoveries possible. The research was also made possible by many years of preparatory work by the UK Biobank team and by the support of the Medical Research Council. We now look forward to hearing the findings from new studies underway that utilise the genetic data generated by the UK BiLEVE study. Ultimately, we would like to see improved prevention and treatment of lung disease and these discoveries are important steps towards this ambitious goal."