More than 40 percent of all breast cancer cases could be prevented through basic lifestyle changes, a sweeping new report shows.

Although many women have long feared they are destined to develop breast cancer – one of the leading causes of death among American women – getting exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, limiting alcohol consumption and breastfeeding their children can protect many women from this common disease, the analysis determined.

The potential benefit is staggering. In all, more than 70,000 U.S. breast cancer cases could be avoided every year, determined researchers at the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund, which published the report.

Read More

Celiac disease, a serious digestive condition, is common in more ways than one – in how often it occurs, and how often it goes undiagnosed. The prevalence of the disease has increased significantly in the United States during the last 50 years, researchers at the Mayo Clinic recently determined.

“Some studies have suggested that for every person who has been diagnosed with celiac disease, there are likely 30 more who have it but are not diagnosed,” said Mayo gastroenterologist Dr. Joseph Murray in a written release. “And given the nearly quadrupled mortality risk for silent celiac disease we have shown in our study, getting more patients and health professionals to consider the possibility of celiac disease is important.”

Read More

At Navigenics, we join our colleagues in the genetics, health, and life science worlds in honoring the life of Senator Ted Kennedy.

The senator was not only a tireless advocate for health issues, but a leader who embraced health innovation. Years ago, he recognized the growing importance of genetic technologies in our lives, and worked to help pass one of the most important recent laws protecting our genetic information, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimation Act, or GINA.

Read More

Atkins. Ornish. Weight Watchers. South Beach. The Zone.

As a physician, I’m often asked which diet works best.

Carbs or protein? Liquid only? A “cleanse” diet?  Mediterranean? Grapefruit only?

Many people want to know whether any of them even work at all.

Scientific research has been focusing more and more on weight loss, as a record number of Americans – more than one-third of adults – can now be considered clinically obese. Evidence shows that you can lose weight on some of the popular diet programs.

Which ones?

Read More

Navigenics has a strong showing on Health Spottr’s Future Health 100 list. Health Spottr is a new media publishing company devoted to covering the latest in health care innovation and the top players in health care.  Among its new list of 100 influential health care providers, investors, innovators and executives are Navigenics leaders Dr. Jonathan “Jack” Lord and Dr. David Agus.

Dr. Jack Lord, CEO of Navigenics, is featured at number 19 for his commitment to quality improvement in health care. Dr. Lord discusses the importance of Navigenics’ genetic testing services in the future of health care. “These are all progressions on the same basic track of getting people to a place of sovereignty over their healthcare—putting them on the same level as their doctors in the decision-making. Navigenics represents the next step. We provide people with a science-based view of their future risks, then give them resources to understand how they might impact those risks.”

Read More

Many physicians recommend the Navigenics genetic testing services to their patients as a way to help build a more personalized plan for disease prevention and better health. But doctors themselves also tell us how genetic insights improve their own lives. William, director of oncology at a leading diagnostic center, recently wrote to us about his own genetic discovery.

“My analysis was mostly reassuring, but showed two areas of increased risk,” he said. “One was for prostate cancer, which was not a surprise since my father died of prostate cancer. The second was celiac disease, which was a surprise. Although in retrospect, I had some subtle signs and symptoms which could be attributed to celiac disease: Poor digestion of fatty foods, low serum cholesterol, a mysterious skin rash, and recurrent aphthous ulcers,” or canker sores.

He followed up on his Navigenics results by getting two diagnostic tests for celiac disease—a blood test that looks for celiac-related factors and an upper endoscopy, which allowed his doctor to see inside his digestive tract and look for the tissue damage caused by celiac disease.

Both tests were positive, and showed that he already had a moderate to severe form of the disease.
From there, William knew that he could use his genetic test results to take action.

Read More