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People who smoke only in the morning may be at greater risk of lung cancer than those who wait until later in the day, new research suggests.

A study by researchers at Penn State College of Medicine found that early morning smokers have much higher cotinine, a chemical formed when nicotine processed by the body.

These smokers typically had higher cotinine than those who smoked more cigarettes everywhere, but do not light up in the morning.

Dr. Joshua Muscat, a professor of public health sciences at Penn State College of Medicine, warned: ‘as cotinine levels appear to reflect the risk of lung cancer, our results suggest that smokers who smoke immediately after waking may be particularly at risk for lung cancer.’

The results were based on a study involving 252 daily cigarette smokers, which is published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, and suggest that morning smokers’ may require a more intensive effort than other smokers to help them keep up’, Dr Muscat added.

Nine out of ten cases of lung cancer - the second most common cancer in Denmark - are caused by smoking, according to Cancer Research UK.

According to the charity, a person’s risk of developing the disease begins to decline once they stop smoking, so even long-term smokers try to quit.