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.

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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.”

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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.

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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.

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Navigenics has joined healthcare leaders across the country to support a new Declaration of Health Data Rights.

The statement aims to ensure patients’ ability to access and share their own personal health information.

The declaration, which appears on the website HealthDataRights.org, was drafted in response to the difficulties many patients have reported experiencing while attempting to obtain their personal medical records from hospitals, health plans and doctors.

It stipulates that we should have the right to access our own health information so that we can make the best medical decisions for ourselves.

The tenets are simple. The document declares that we the people:

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The first consumer genetics conference gets underway in Boston today, bringing together leaders in the fields of genetic testing, health, genetics and law.

The Consumer Genetics Show was born out of the growing interest in personal genetic testing, and will address key issues in the field, including scientific advances, best practices, and how to navigate the healthcare system. Doctors will learn more about the genetic testing field and how they can help their patients decide which genetic test is best for them.

The Consumer Genetics Show has attracted a veritable who’s who of the personal genomics industry.

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To a lot of people, genetic testing still sounds like futuristic fiction. And that means people come to us with different misconceptions of what genetic testing is all about.

To help address some of those perceptions, we’ll start blogging from time to time about common myths that surround genetic testing and try to set the record straight.

Here’s one misconception our genetic counselors often hear:

Myth:  My DNA is my destiny, and I don’t want to know.

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What do scientists and rock stars have in common? On the surface, not a heck of a lot.

But on May 25, they’ll all be gracing the pages of GQ Magazine as part of a nationwide effort to recognize the achievements of some of today’s top scientific minds.

Among those featured in the “Rock Stars of Science” public service campaign is Dr. David Agus, who co-founded Navigenics with the overall goal of improving personal health. Dr. Agus is also a nationally recognized cancer researcher and physician with the University of Southern California.

Haven’t heard of him? That’s exactly the point of the Rock Stars of Science project.

Nearly three-fourths of Americans polled could not name a single living scientist in a 2006 survey commissioned by Research!America. A separate survey for Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry determined that Britney Spears is more influential than Stephen Hawking among most Americans.

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Heather Bonaguidi is making an effort to include more anti-oxidants and whole grains in her diet.

Rashaad Forehand is drinking less alcohol and cutting down on his ice cream intake.

These are the sorts of healthier choices we’re all told to make, and that many of us ignore. But Heather and Rashaad have extra motivation – they’ve learned about some of the personal health risks carried in their DNA.

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Alzheimer’s disease, long a condition deeply feared because it seems so hopeless, is getting a new look from a brighter angle.

This week, HBO is airing a new documentary series, “The Alzheimer’s Project,” that includes two segments on promising new research. As the online introduction to the series says, “There is no cure – but there is hope.”

The Alzheimer’s Association, a partner in the HBO project, is leading a new push for advocacy, awareness, and a search for treatments.

And at Navigenics, we are helping our members learn about their genetic Alzheimer’s risks, so that they can be aware, informed, and involved on a personal level earlier.

Recently, ABC’s “Nightline” co-anchor Terry Moran became his own news story as he turned the cameras onto himself and got a Navigenics genetic test to learn whether he had a genetic predisposition for Alzheimer’s disease. He shared his concerns, his family history, his results, and his reactions with the millions of Americans who tuned in.

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Some people prefer shopping online, whether it’s a book, movie ticket or a genetic test that they’re seeking. Others would rather have more personal interaction and feel the most comfortable talking to a physician about anything even remotely related to their health.

With that in mind, Navigenics has made it much easier for consumers to find physicians who have been trained in integrating our genetic testing into their practice. We’ve just introduced a new “Find a physician” feature that enables customers to select from a growing list of physicians offering the Navigenics genetic testing services to patients.

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Genetic testing is a relatively new field, and not surprisingly, many consumers have questions about it. What are the benefits? What are the risks? And perhaps most importantly, is it right for me right now?

Dr. Eric J.Topol, director of the Scripps Translational Science Institute in San Diego, discusses these issues in a thoughtful new video blog called “Are Genome-Wide Scans Ready for Prime Time?”

Should people get a genetic test now to learn their genetic risk for many common health conditions? Should they wait until scientific research has yielded even more information about the genetic underpinnings of health before they proceed?

While naysayers have suggested that consumers should put off testing until all the pieces of our genetic puzzles are in place, “There’s no real answer to this debate,” Topol says in his video, which was posted on Medscape, a website for physicians.

Certainly, sound science will bring new advances to the field in the future. But that is no reason not to get a genetic test today.

“There is another view here, and that is by having this information that may be empowering to individuals – and that may be a good thing,” Topol says in the video.

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Here at Navigenics, some of the questions people ask us frequently relate to genetic testing and family health history. Doesn’t family history provide enough health information all on its own? How do genetic test results work with family history?

The short answer is that family history is important, but it can’t provide the whole story.

Many women who develop breast cancer, for example, have no family history of the disease. And someone who lost a grandfather and a father to heart attacks is not necessarily destined to have the same fate. Your genetic makeup is very individual in some important ways, making personal genetic information a valuable addition to family history.

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“This is not going to be your typical story about Alzheimer’s disease,” explained Nightline co-anchor Terry Moran. “…You get to come to my office and watch me spit in a tube.”

And so began Moran’s personal tale of his quest to discover whether Alzheimer’s disease might one day control his life, just as it had his mother’s not that many years ago.

By spitting into a special tube and shipping his saliva sample to Navigenics, Moran was able to experience first-hand one of the greatest breakthroughs in modern medicine – the ability to size up his genetic code and learn his personal genetic risk for a disease he has long abhorred.

“My moment of truth,” he told the cameras, as he prepared to get the results of his Navigenics genetic test. “I wanted to face my fears...”

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It’s always nice to be recognized. Being called one of the “Fabulous Four” Bay Area businesses by a leading business columnist? Even better.

San Jose Mercury News writer Chris O’Brien recently featured Navigenics in his write-up of Bay Area companies that are succeeding during this global economic downturn. His profile is a pleasant acknowledgement of all the hard work that has gone into creating the genetic testing service that is most recommended by physicians. 

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Just what is genetic testing and how can it help your health?

Tune into “The Doctors” show on television today and you’ll get answers.

The show’s “Secrets to Living Longer” episode – which will air at 4 p.m. on Fox in many media markets – features the Navigenics genetic testing services.

Learn how a simple saliva test can help you determine whether you are genetically predisposed to certain diseases such as colon cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. The tests can enable you and your physician to come up with a personalized health plan to prevent the conditions, delay them or detect them early.

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Cancer deaths among African-Americans have been steadily declining in recent years, but are still much higher than they should be.

For most types of cancer, blacks continue to have the highest death rate – and shortest survival – of any racial or ethnic group in the United States, the American Cancer Society reported recently in a sweeping review of African-Americans and cancer.

All too often, when cancer is diagnosed in an African-American patient, the disease is more advanced and harder to beat, the scientists found.

The issue has more to do with social and economic disparities – and a lack of early screening – than any biological differences associated with race, the scientists concluded. Inequalities in wealth, education and health insurance are partly to blame.

But cancer also is not being detected early enough.

As a result, more than 63,000 African-Americans will die from cancer this year.

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