Do I Really Want to See the Results of a Mail-In DNA Test?

Dear Lifehacker,
I'm considering getting my DNA tested through a service like 23andMe or DNA Traits, but I'm not really sure I want to learn that much about myself. What can I expect from these genetic tests, and are they worth it?


Dear DNA,
It's no secret that genetic testing is growing in popularity, and with recent events like Angelina Jolie's preventative double mastectomy, the idea of seeing what types of health risks you might have for certain diseases is increasing. We've talked about decoding your DNA with 23andMe before, but over the years the system has changed a bit. It's a complicated subject with a lot of variables, but let's take a look at the data you'll get from a mail-in service, their reliability, the benefits, and the problems.

What You Get from a DNA Test


In most cases, ordering a DNA test from a service like 23andMe will get you two main sets of data: an overview of your health, and an overview of your ancestry. All you need to do is send in a DNA sample (usually spit) and in 6-8 weeks you get an overview of your genetic disorders, genetic propensities, and information about ancestry.

The ancestry information is pretty straightforward. It gives you information about your countries of ancestry, possible cousins, distant relatives, and other surnames you might be related to.

The health information is a bit more complicated, and typically you'll get a few different pieces of information: health risks, inherited conditions, and traits.

Like the name suggests, health risks show your possible risk percentage for various diseases. This includes everything from Chronic Kidney Disease to Alzheimer's Disease. With 23andMe, each of the results is linked to an article stating what it means, what types of lifestyle changes you should make, and scientific articles on the subject.

You'll also get a list of Inherited Conditions. This included things like genetic variants that can cause Cystic Fibrosis, Gaucher disease, or other various deficiencies. Combined with the health risks, the traits are useful to see if you're a carrier for any type of disease or deficiency, even if you don't have the problems yourself.

Finally, you get a list of traits. These are things you likely already know about yourself, including lactose intolerance, male pattern baldness, and hair color. You'll also get somewhat interesting information about weirder details like your likelihood of caffeine consumption, pain sensitivity, and memory. For the most part, these are interesting, but mostly useless tidbits of data.

The Benefits of Getting a DNA Test


The clearest benefit of getting your DNA tested is the opportunity to see certain health risks that you might face in the future that you can actually do something about. This is especially handy if you don't know a lot about your family history.

Like a lot of the quantified self movement, a DNA test is all about providing data about your body. Armed with the results of your DNA test you'll have a much clearer idea of what health risks you face and what types of genetic disorders you may be prone to.

The idea is that the more you know about potential problems, the more proactive you can be in avoiding them. In a lot of cases, this is just making sure you're eating healthy and exercising, but it can also give you bigger warnings about things like alcohol consumption, diet restrictions, and plenty more. It gives you a chance to educate yourself a little on your history, and when you have the info in your hand, you can walk into the doctors office and talk about very specific issues.

If you're willing to potentially find some bad news, it's an interesting look into how your body works and why. If nothing else, the ancestry information is interesting, and if you've ever been curious about your family history it's worth doing.

The Problems with DNA Testing


All of this information comes with its own set of problems. First and foremost, it may include a lot of information you don't want to see. In some cases, like Alzheimer's, you can elect to not view the results, but once they're in front of you it's pretty hard to avoid.

Either way, you're likely going to see some information that you might not want to know. For example, I have an increased risk for everything from Chronic Kidney Disease to Restless Leg Syndrome.

Clicking on the results for Chronic Kidney Disease, I learn that the increase isn't that large. On average, 3.4 out of 100 people in my ethnicity get Chronic Kidney Disease, and my risk is somewhere around 4.2 out of 100 people. Which is to say, it's not that much higher. On that same results page I also learn that the best thing I can do to prevent Chronic Kidney Disease is to eat healthy, exercise, keep my blood pressure down, and not smoke. So, basically the same advice any doctor would give me for what statistically speaking is a bit of a false alarm.

And that's the thing, as Gizmodo points out, seeing the possible effects and risks of irremovable DNA doesn't exactly make you feel better. If you're high risk, you can't walk away from it, and in some cases your behavior won't change the results. You'll need to think about whether that's information you care to know.

The problems don't just stop with the mental hurdles you need to go through if your results show a lot of health risks. For one, none of this is regulated by the FDA, and you're essentially handing your DNA over to a private company. For privacy concerns alone, this should raise some red flags.

There's also a problem with the basic results you get. 23andMe alone has been criticized for inaccuracy and overestimating the signifigance of results. Most of the consumer DNA tests also only look at a small amount of DNA, and they can't consider the wide variety of environmental factors that also play a role in your health. The service is also a bit European-centric, and as science writer Ed Yong points out, the results for other ethnicities aren't exactly stellar.

The Bottom Line


For the bulk of us, the results you get don't really impact your behavior. For example, you might find that you have an elevated risk of heart disease, but the only thing you can really do about that is maintain a healthy diet and exercise. That's something you should be doing anyway.

Of course, Jolie's example above is a good one as well. Some traits, like certain types of cancer, do have preventative measures you can take outside of just eating a healthy diet and exercising. It boils down to one question to ask yourself: how useful do you think this information will be? If you're willing to make necessary changes—even if they're drastic—a DNA test is worth considering. If not, don't waste your money.

It's also worth pointing out that a DNA test is not a replacement to a doctor visit. If anything, it's something you can consider arming yourself with on your next doctor appointment. Your doctor is going to know how to handle your particular situation better than anyone else. They'll also be able to read your results better than you, and can create preventative plans for you moving forward.

Of course, the ancestry information is interesting on its own, and if you don't know a lot about your family history or background both sets of results might help you pin down your roots a little bit.


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Title photo remixed from Zentilla (Shutterstock) and 4@tassell78.