The Navigator - Navigenics Blog

Genetic insights into health and wellness

All results for "Breast cancer" (4)

August 18, 2008

Don’t let this healthy catch get away

Michael Nierenberg, M.D.,

Navigenics Medical Director

Posted 09:55 AM PDT

imageAn apple a day isn’t enough anymore. Now you also need to think fish or flaxseed in your diet to help keep the doctor away. That is why Navigenics has new recommendations to encourage our members to be sure they get enough omega-3 fatty acids in their diet.

Omega-3 fatty acids aren’t snake oil, promising to cure all ills; rather, they are oils from fish or certain nuts and plants, and researchers have found strong evidence that they have many potential health benefits.

These polyunsaturated fatty acids are found primarily in fish and fish oils, but also in some plant-based oils, such as canola oil or flaxseed oil, and certain leafy green vegetables, including spinach, kale, broccoli and seaweed.  They are essential to human health, but cannot be made by the body. That is why it is so important for people to make sure they get sufficient amounts of them through diet or supplements—and to know how much they need.

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Categories: Alzheimer's disease, Crohn's disease, About Navigenics, Breast cancer, Heart attack, Heart disease, Macular degeneration, Rheumatoid arthritis

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August 04, 2008

An even better gauge for breast cancer risk

Jennifer Wessel,

Senior Genetic Epidemiologist

Posted 02:00 PM PDT

Common genetic variants and the role they play in breast cancer have been popular topics in scientific journals lately.  I recently mentioned a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine that found women with 14 of the genetic markers associated with breast cancer had 6.3 times the risk of breast cancer as women with none of the markers.  “A few susceptibility alleles may distinguish women who are at high risk for breast cancer from those who are at low risk,” the study determined.

Now comes more research that supports the notion that analyzing a woman’s genes can be a useful weapon to add to the arsenal physicians and patients have in the battle against breast cancer.

Scientists had already established that there are several environmental links to breast cancer, including a woman’s age at first period, her family history and current age. Recently, researchers have had the tools to start identifying the other pieces of the puzzle – genetic risk factors. 

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Categories: About Navigenics, Breast cancer, Genetic research

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July 28, 2008

Are you really getting enough Vitamin D?

Michael Nierenberg, M.D.,

Navigenics Medical Director

Posted 09:18 AM PDT

Medical experts have long been aware that vitamin D has its benefits.  Known to prevent rickets and osteoporosis, it is added to the bulk of the U.S. milk supply to help the public maintain healthy bones.

An abundance of new research suggests that the valuable vitamin is much more important than once thought – and that many of us are not getting enough of it.

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Categories: Breast cancer, Colon cancer, Heart attack, Osteoporosis, Vitamin D

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July 10, 2008

New study brings genes into breast cancer detection

Jennifer Wessel,

Senior Genetic Epidemiologist

Posted 09:40 AM PDT

imageIf you’re a woman in your 20s or 30s, you probably haven’t had a mammogram. The people who calculate the need for medical tests figure it’s not worth it to screen most women at such a relatively young age.

But if you already knew, from your genes, that you were at elevated risk for breast cancer, you might feel differently. Now, some researchers feel differently about it too.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge found that women with 14 of the genetic markers associated with increased risk of breast cancer had about six times the risk of breast cancer as women with none of the markers. They recently reported their findings in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Their research could mean a big change in the timing of cancer screening for some women, as well as the ways doctors detect early signs of the disease.

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Categories: About Navigenics, Breast cancer

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