January 28, 2009

Navigenics launches new service and physician portal

Navigenics Chief Medical Officer

Posted 07:15 AM PDT

Navigenics, a leading personal genomics testing company, announced today it has developed an innovative physician-focused online portal allowing doctors to access the genomic information of consenting patients. For patients choosing to receive a Navigenics service through their physician, this portal allows the physician to integrate patients’ genetic information into personalized health plans designed to help diagnose early or prevent a number of health conditions. Accessible through Navigenics’ website, the secure portal empowers physicians with a suite of tools including a single access point to all of their participating patients’ genomic information, along with learning tools and case studies for integrating genomic information into their clinical practice.

Navigenics also announced that it has expanded its portfolio of DNA testing services by offering a new service that provides a lower cost of entry into genetic health. Called Navigenics Annual Insight, the new service is available for $499 and mirrors many of the hallmarks of the company’s flagship product, Navigenics Health Compass, and provides information on an individual’s genetic predisposition for common preventable health conditions.

Categories: About Navigenics

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January 12, 2009

To prevent diabetes, dig into your DNA

Michael Nierenberg, M.D.,

Navigenics Medical Director

Posted 03:07 PM PDT

When the federal government released its snapshot of diabetes cases in the U.S. last October, the picture wasn’t pretty.

The incidence of new cases among adults had nearly doubled in just one decade. And the bulk of the newly diagnosed patients had type 2 diabetes, the form of the condition linked to obesity, genetic factors, and a sedentary lifestyle.

By all accounts, the statistics are alarming. Experts anticipate that 29 percent of American women and 25 percent of men will develop the disease in their lifetime. The new data suggests the diabetes epidemic is continuing, full speed ahead – and is nowhere near a peak.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Categories: Diabetes, Obesity, Exercise

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January 08, 2009

Resolve to stick with an exercise plan

Michael Nierenberg, M.D.,

Navigenics Medical Director

Posted 01:57 PM PDT

It’s that time of year again. The time when we attempt to atone for an entire year of little exercise and lots of food – magnified during the holiday season – by going overboard with our New Year’s resolutions.

The desire or effort to lose weight is certainly not a bad thing. Obesity is a very serious health condition, often with genetic components, that afflicts an estimated 72 million Americans, putting them at risk for type 2 diabetes, heart attack and even some kinds of cancer.

Losing just 10 percent of your body weight can significantly lower your risk of developing these health-related complications.

But the way we go about slimming down is often short-sighted (not to mention ineffective), with far too many dieters feverishly working out at the gym only until the desire to shape up no longer grips them. An hour or two of exercise each day soon gives way to every other day, and then to not at all.

Not surprisingly, a majority of Americans who lose a substantial amount of weight go on to gain back at least half of it within two years.

Categories: Diabetes, Heart attack, Obesity

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January 05, 2009

“That’s why we’re called ‘nightwalkers‘“

Michael Nierenberg, M.D.,

Navigenics Medical Director

Posted 11:25 AM PDT

“It feels like a toothache in your leg,” says one woman.

“Creepy, crawly bugs,” says another.

“Almost like a really bad cramp,” adds a third.

They’re talking about restless legs syndrome, or RLS, a health condition which affects an estimated 8 million Americans – but manages to get very little attention or respect.

The New York Times, however, recently focused a spotlight on the rarely discussed condition, which has a strong genetic component. The Times prominently featured the stories of seven men and women who have been diagnosed with it on the Health section of its highly trafficked web site.

Among them: Dr. David Rye, a neurology professor at Emory University who has both studied the condition and suffered from it.

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January 02, 2009

Chablis, or not chablis? That is the question

Michael Nierenberg, M.D.,

Navigenics Medical Director

Posted 11:57 AM PDT

From the way some people talk about alcohol, you might think it’s almost a cure-all, capable of preventing heart attacks and strokes while reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes and macular degeneration.

Others, however, will tell you alcohol is bad for your body and brain, causing addiction, cirrhosis of the liver and abnormal heart rhythms while raising the risk of breast cancer.

So who is right? Well, both sides, actually.

A growing body of research suggests that, when consumed in moderation, alcohol can have many significant health benefits.

The evidence purporting that alcohol may be associated with a reduction in heart disease – or at least a reduction in deaths from heart disease – has garnered the most attention.

One recent study of former teetotalers found that those who took up drinking wine in middle age experienced a 38 percent reduction in heart attacks and stroke over four years.

“The findings suggest that, for carefully selected individuals, a ‘heart healthy diet’ may include limited alcohol consumption, even among individuals who have not included alcohol previously,” the study’s authors wrote.

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