Eye on DNA Headlines for 23 October 2007

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted October 23, 2007 in Eye on DNA Headlines

• Dr. Christian Sinclair at Pallimed: A Hospice & Palliative Medicine Blog hosts Grand Rounds Vol 4, No 5. My podcast interview with Kathy Flake about genetic testing for Huntington’s disease was one of only 15 that were included which “best reflected the variety of ways prognosis plays a role in medical care.”
• A twin study has shown that 41% to 48% of a person’s predisposition towards a particular food group–fruit and vegetables, alcohol, fried meat and potatoes, and low-fat products or low in meat, fish and poultry–is influenced by genetics. A couple of weeks ago, I attended a school lunch tasting and was really impressed at the variety of food they served. Although I tried most of everything and liked it, I can’t say the same about the other parents. Interestingly, these were the same parents whose children didn’t much like school lunch.

  I hope my son is as flexible as my husband and me when it comes to world cuisine. Being willing to try new, different, and strange foods makes life so much easier. Having been business expats for almost 10 years, I can safely say that you’ll be more successful in any country if you’re willing to try local cuisine. /end tangent

• Pedro Beltrao has penned an imaginative science fiction story that anyone interested in personal genomics should read – The Fortune Cookie Genome.
• The Women’s Bioethics Blog looks at DNA Testing Without Consent on historic or popular figures, such as Albert Einstein, Abraham Lincoln, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Britney Spears.
• Tell your US senators to support the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA)! You can find sample letters and lists of senators who’ve cosponsored GINA over at Genetic Alliance.

Tags: genetic information nondiscrimination act, gina, genetic alliance, britney spears, science fiction, genetics, genes, dna, grand rounds

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