DNA kit better than a crystal ball? >> GadgetGrid

Apr 28 2009

DNA kit better than a crystal ball?

Posted by: sonia in Educational, Personal Care

Maybe I’ve been watching too much CSI lately, cause yesterday I blogged about DNA art and today I’m taken with 23andMe, a service that lets you get up close and personal with your genes.

23andMe uses both DNA analysis technology and web-based tools to give you a better understanding of your genealogy, ancestry and inherited traits.

Ok, so maybe finding out you’re at risk for Age-related Macular Degeneration isn’t exactly your idea of good times, but I’m thinking maybe they’re on to something.

Imagine if you could find out more about the diseases, traits and conditions you’re prone to based on your genetic composition? Common diseases and conditions like heart attacks, arthritis and cancers.
Maybe if you knew today, you could take preventative measures for tomorrow? I dunno, might cause me to rethink that cholesterol-laden meat-lovers pizza I was going to devour tonight.

It works like this:

Go to the website and purchase the service ($399USD for the basic package)

You’ll get a kit in the mail with all you’ll need for providing a sample of your saliva (just spit in the barcoded tube)

Send it back to the lab for processing and from there they’ll start reading 600,000 specific points on your genome (crazy, huh?)

Then 4-6 weeks after sending out your sample, you’ll get an email letting you know your genome profile is good to go

Just log onto their site and see what nature has in store for you (ok, bad joke).

With the service, you’ll have access to a variety of Clinical and Research Reports that cover several topics such as:

Breast Cancer
Obesity
Celiac Disease
Multiple Sclerosis
Colorectal Cancer
Parkinson’s Disease
Prostate Cancer
etc

You can also share and compare your data with relatives and friends, participate in studies and surveys, even explore the genetics behind things like the color of your eyes, the foods you like and why you suck at baseball.

Plus, if new research developments surface that can be linked to your data, your account is updated so you can see how the latest findings affect you.

Of course, there’s the other side of the coin too. After all, there’s a reason they termed the phrase “blissfully unaware”.

If you’re like me, finding out you may be at risk for a disease for which there currently is no cure would surely send me into mega meltdown mode!

You also run the risk of finding out your dad isn’t really your biological dad (yikes!) so that’s a whole ‘nuther ball of wax.

And even the company itself admits that diet, lifestyle and environment play a huge role (maybe even a bigger role) than your genetic makeup when it comes to living a long and healthy life – so don’t sweat it. If you decide to take the plunge, take it all with a grain of salt and don’t let the research rule your life.

23andMe

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