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.

“This study represents the clearest picture we have ever had on how lifestyle affects a woman’s risk of breast cancer,” said Dr. Martin Wiseman, medical and scientific adviser for the organizations, in a written statement. “We are now more certain than ever that by maintaining a healthy weight, being physically active and limiting the amount of alcohol they drink, women can dramatically reduce their risk.”

The report is considered the largest review of the link between breast cancer and lifestyle, analyzing more than 950 research studies and taking years to draft.

Women in North America have the highest rate of breast cancer in the world, with more than 180,000 new cases diagnosed every year. To reduce your risk of breast cancer, the organizations recommend:

• Being “as lean as possible” – without becoming underweight
• Exercising at least 30 minutes per day
• Limiting alcohol consumption to one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men
• Exclusively breastfeeding babies for their first six months of life

A Navigenics genetic test can help you determine whether you are at increased genetic risk for breast cancer and many other common diseases. Knowing that you are genetically predisposed to a health condition can be very motivating, giving you the impetus to make lifestyle changes you’ve been wanting to make for years.

Learn 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.”

Yet, among most of us, celiac disease is rarely discussed during checkups and isn’t a part of routine health screenings.

Surveys show that only 35 percent of primary care physicians in the United States have ever diagnosed the condition, which can cause cancer, neurological disorders, malnutrition and bone density problems if left untreated. People whose celiac disease goes unnoticed, in fact, have a nearly 4-fold increased risk of death, research indicates.

The problem is only expected to get worse, as “until recently, the standard approach to finding celiac disease has been to wait for people to complain of symptoms and to come to the doctor for investigation,” Murray said. “This study suggests that we may need to consider looking for celiac disease in the general population, more like we do in testing for cholesterol or blood pressure.”

Since celiac disease has a genetic component, understanding your DNA can help in this assessment. Knowing from a Navigenics genetic test that you have a genetic predisposition for the condition can make you more alert to the symptoms of celiac disease and assist your doctor in knowing when to test further for it.

Early diagnosis and subsequent dietary changes can make a world of difference. As one doctor, who only realized that he himself had celiac disease after a Navigenics genetic test, said, “It is amazing to me, at the age of 52 years, and being a physician, that my diagnosis and treatment was possible only because of your DNA test.”

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.

GINA “opens a new frontier in medicine in which we read the genetic make up of patients to stop diseases before they even happen,” Kennedy said when GINA became law in 2008.  “This legislation opens the door to modern medical progress for millions and millions of Americans… It’s the first civil rights bill of the new century of the life sciences.  With its passage, we take a quantum leap forward in preserving the value of new genetic technology and protecting the basic rights of every American.”

To learn more about Senator Kennedy’s work on genetics and other aspects of health, visit his Senate website. You can learn more about GINA, just one part of Kennedy’s legacy, from the National Human Genome Research Institute.

Photo credit: The website of Edward M. Kennedy, United States Senator for Massachusetts, http://kennedy.senate.gov/

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?

It may not matter as much as you think.

In one respected comparison of the Atkins, Ornish, Weight Watchers and Zone diets, researchers found that dieters had lost, on average, 6.4 pounds over the course of a year. But how well dieters did depended not so much on the specific diet or types of foods they ate, but on whether they were actually able to stick with the diet plan.

The dropout rate for each of the diets was very high, with half of those on the Atkins and Ornish diets giving up before the 12-month mark, and one-third of those on the Weight Watchers or Zone diets quitting by then.
“The good news about this study is that we have demonstrated that all these diets work,” said lead researcher Dr. Michael L. Dansinger in an interview with Medscape. “That means that physicians can work with patients to select the diet that is best suited to the patient. For example, if you have a patient who likes meat, it is unlikely that he or she will comply with the Ornish diet.”

A recent study had similar findings. Overweight adults who reduced their intake of calories lost an average of 7 percent of their initial body weight within a year. It didn’t matter whether their diet was higher in protein or higher in carbs, the study determined. “Reduced-calorie diets result in clinically meaningful weight loss regardless of which macronutrients they emphasize,” the researchers concluded.

So it’s being consistent and eating less that matters, rather than the details of what you eat.

Making an effort to lose extra pounds and keep them off for good can pay big dividends. Obesity has been linked to high blood pressure, osteoarthritis, gallbladder disease, type 2 diabetes and stroke, and even increases your risk of developing certain cancers.
Do you have a genetic predisposition for obesity? A Navigenics genetic test can help you determine your genetic risk levels for obesity, as well as for compounding conditions such as diabetes and heart attack. Learn 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.”

Dr. David Agus, Navigenics’ co-founder, is highlighted for his leadership and innovation in the field of personal genomics. Targeted medicine is his specialty in his work as an oncologist at the USC Center for Applied Molecular Medicine and the USC Westside Prostate Cancer Center. Agus is on the “hunt for biomarkers,” Health Spottr points out, and receives an overall stunning review for his support and use of technology in health care innovation to “cut costs and improve efficacy” in medicine. Health Spottr includes some noteworthy links to Dr. Agus’ blog entry on Faster Cures as well as his discussion of personal genomics and Navigenics on Charlie Rose.

Dr. Eric Topol, a lead investigator from the Scripps Translational Science Institute, also makes the cut for his genomics impact trial. Dr. Topol is using a $20 million grant from the NIH to enroll 10,000 participants in the Navigenics genetic testing services and track their behavior modification based on their results.

Additionally, two of Navigenics’ board members, David Brailer and Brook Byers, are also on the list. Brailer is the “first national leader to show the importance of health information technology to healthcare reform” while Byers is noted as the “godfather” of personalized medicine.

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.

“A gastroenterologist has recommended a gluten-free diet, which is thought to be effective at reducing the many possible complications of celiac disease: Diabetes, thyroid disease, liver disease, small bowel lymphoma, and cancer,” he said.

He is now also taking calcium and Vitamin D, and has since encouraged his closest relatives to also be screened for celiac disease. About 57 percent of risk for celiac disease can be contributed to genetic factors.

“It is amazing to me, at the age of 52 years, and being a physician, that my diagnosis and treatment was possible only because of your DNA test,” William said. “Thank you for that.”

How has genetic testing transformed your personal health? Share your story at