I am getting lots of questions about genetic testing. Navigenics was acquired late last year by Life Technologies. Life Technologies is going to relaunch the Navigenics DNA disease testing as well as a new product to look at the genetic changes in patients with cancer (to personalize their cancer treatments). The final testing and regulatory filings are underway. I apologize that the testing hasn’t been available, but will be soon!

To you health!

David

If you know about my stance on vitamins and supplements, then today’s headline might have made you scratch your head: “Multivitamins may prevent cancer in men.”

In my book The End of Illness, I make a strong case against them. And for good reason: all of the data thus far has pointed to the potential hazards of taking a daily multivitamin and loading up on supplements, especially those that deliver mega-doses. So you can imagine the response I got today when I learned of this new study published in none other than the Journal of the American Medical Association that seemingly contradicted not only my perspective but the results of countless other respectful studies performed under the rigors of the scientific method (double-blind, placebo-controlled studies).

(Adapted from my post on the World Economic Forum blog)

In 2010, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) overtook infectious disease as the leading killer worldwide. These include illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, the ravages of malnutrition, and cancer. A recent study by the World Economic Forum and Harvard University has estimated that NCDs will cost the world economy approximately $47 trillion over the next 20 years, representing 75 percent of global GDP and surpassing the cost of the global financial crisis. These numbers are so overwhelming that they can even stun a cancer doctor like me who is used to breathtaking statistics and gloomy reports.

Note: This blog post first appeared on CNN.com

This coming Sunday, more than 100 million people are going to tune into the Super Bowl as the New York Giants take on the New England Patriots in Indianapolis. They will be watching more than just an American tradition at play—they will be witnessing one of the deadliest sports in history whose record of premature deaths demonstrates in sobering reality the silent killer in all of us: inflammation. Consider the following:

• Heavy (overweight) NFL players are twice as likely to die before the age of fifty.

Forget trying to overhaul your diet. Lose the idea that you’re suddenly going to start training for your city’s marathon this year. And while you’re at it, ditch the promise to yourself that you’ll finally get out of debt, quit smoking, and drink less. How can a doctor like me actually be telling you this? Although those are all lofty and incredibly good goals to have (all of which top the list for most popular resolutions), the truth is that millions of Americans resolve to change their habits and behaviors overnight between December 31^st of the old year and the first of the new year. And it doesn’t happen. Or it doesn’t stick for long. Barely a fraction of people succeed in the long haul.