A Positive Response to Genetic Testing

A personalized medicine study from the Coriell Institute for Medical Research suggests that patients who undergo genetic testing are more likely to change their personal habits, writes Emily Singer at the Technology Review Editors' blog. People who find out they have a high genetic risk for cardiovascular disease are more likely to change their diet and exercise habits than those people who have a high risk from family history, Singer says, adding that this suggests "both a potential benefit of genetic testing … and a misunderstanding of the power of genetics." The research is part of an effort to determine how patients and doctors react to genetic information and whether they change anything about their habits, with an eye towards making genome information a part of routine medicine. "Researchers haven't yet determined how genetic testing affects long term health, which will require extensive follow-up," Singer says.