In  recent discussion about the happenings at the Long Beach American College of Sports Medicine it was noted that one of the more interesting topics was gene expression and how different genetic makeup will respond differently to exercise.  Nobody is testing for these genes yet, but they will be soon.  Pay attention to this stuff as it is a big part of the future.  More info from the WSJ health blog:

Another company is jumping into the growing world of direct-to-consumer DNA testing today. For $2,500, Navigenics will tell you your genetic risk for 18 different diseases — at least according to the best available genetic studies. Another $250 a year gets you an ongoing subscription to the company’s services.

As the WSJ notes, the company has a pretty detailed privacy policy. That’s a nod to the fears of many that genetic testing might work against them, by alerting potential insurers or employers to a person’s health risks.

Of course, Navigenics’ competitors — mainly the Google-funded 23andMe and deCODEme, an outgrowth of deCode Genetics — say they have tight data protection, too. The other companies charge roughly $1,000 for their service.

The business and science is outpacing regulators, the WSJ notes, and there’s little oversight of the way the companies analyze the information and what they do with the data once they have it. Last year, a member of the UK’s Human Genetics Commission said understanding of how genetic risk factors work is still too limited to make strong predictions about an individual’s risks of developing many common diseases. “My message is you are wasting your money,” buying such a test, she said.

Bonus Gene: Wired’s science blog has an in-depth comparison of the offerings from Navigenics and 23andMe.