ABSTRACT

Individual choices about health are not autonomous but are infl uenced by powerful political, social, and market conditions. Genomic health care linked to the mapping of the human genome is no exception. Support for the Human Genome Project relating to goals associated with understanding all of the genetic material contained in an organism or a cell was debated in scientifi c, political, and personal realms. Reports about these conversations appeared in newspapers and scientifi c journals. Sometimes, the debates themselves were aired on television and had broad public audiences. Scientifi c understanding of the genome was presented as a path toward disease prevention represented as opportunities to implement fi ndings in translational research intended to improve lives (Friedrich 2004). These opportunities include new drugs to treat common diseases and dosing guidelines based on individual genetic make-up, pharmacogenomics, and food and vitamin supplements aimed at nutritional status based on individual genetic make-up, nutrigenomics.