The kits all contained the same type of saliva-collection tubes. She said there was nothing in my personal health records or family history that would normally lead her to order a genetic test. My doctor reluctantly agreed, but only because I was exploring DNA testing as part of my job. Food and Drug Administration limits the medical information the company can report. 23andMe doesn’t, and as a result, the U.S. Genos and Veritas both require a doctor to sign off on the test. The DNA-testing process starts off the same for all of the companies I tried: ordering a kit online.
My health report series#
This story is part of a multipart series on consumer genetic testing. Where these companies differ is in how much of the genome they assess and whether they look for only a limited set of known variants or can uncover new ones specific to an individual. Where most people have, say, a “G,” some might have an “A.” Most of these genetic variants are harmless, but some raise the risk for certain diseases. (I did ancestry testing, too you can read about my experiences with that in June.) These companies all analyze natural spelling variations in the string of letters that make up DNA.
Is more better? Would an expensive test that deciphered my entire genetic instruction manual, or genome, reveal more about me than more limited tests? That’s what I wanted to find out.įor health testing, I sent spit samples to 23andMe, Genos and Veritas Genetics, three companies that represent the various levels of DNA testing available to consumers. What finally motivated me to send away my DNA in the mail was the fact that companies are now offering much more genetic information. Direct-to-consumer genetic testing first came on the market about a decade ago, but I resisted the temptation to see what health information is hidden in my DNA - until now.Īs a molecular biology writer, I’ve been skeptical that the field of genetics is mature enough to accurately predict health ( see related article).
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