DNA test

[M.A.R.]

In 2022, I had a DNA test. The good thing about this isn't that it tells you who your ancestors were, but that it alerts you to diseases you have a genetic predisposition to. It showed that I have a predisposition to diabetes (my mother had it), a predisposition to gout (I developed it later in life), and also a predisposition to Alzheimer's (I don't have it yet, but my father did). But this information gives you the opportunity to try to prevent the disease from progressing. The test also tells you which remedies are effective for you; for example, it told me that metformin was not effective in my body.

 

[EllieM]

The test also tells you which remedies are effective for you; for example, it told me that metformin was not effective in my body.

That is really interesting. How confident are you in the reliability/integrity of this test? (I googled for info on this but got inconclusive results - I'd want a link to a reputable source to believe this.)

 

[M.A.R.]

That is really interesting. How confident are you in the reliability/integrity of this test? (I googled for info on this but got inconclusive results - I'd want a link to a reputable source to believe this.)

When you take a DNA test, you have to swab the inside of your mouth to collect saliva. A Spanish journalist played a trick on them and swabbed his dog instead. The results showed "great athletic ability"....
I can only speak from my own experience; everything the test told me was true, or I had a family history of the conditions mentioned. It also told me that metformin wasn't very effective for me, and that turned out to be true!
I’ve looked up some information for you here, but I’m not going to read it today because my eyes are really tired.

Effects of communicating DNA‐based disease risk estimates on risk‐reducing behaviours - PMC

There are high expectations regarding the potential for the communication of DNA‐based disease risk estimates to motivate behaviour change. To assess the effects of communicating DNA‐based disease risk estimates on risk‐reducing behaviours and ...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[lovinglife]

It’s very long so I’ve skim read it & it seems to be a study on using DNA testing to altering behaviours, not if DNA testing is accurate in predicting predisposition to diseases, only that if a DNA test shows a predisposition to a disease Will it change behaviours such as smoking cessation or dietary changes

If when you’ve read it if you could post an extract where it talks about the accuracy

 

[M.A.R.]

It’s very long so I’ve skim read it & it seems to be a study on using DNA testing to altering behaviours, not if DNA testing is accurate in predicting predisposition to diseases, only that if a DNA test shows a predisposition to a disease Will it change behaviours such as smoking cessation or dietary changes

If when you’ve read it if you could post an extract where it talks about the accuracy

It addresses whether a person can modify their behavior to avoid a disease detected via DNA analysis.
I had one done in 2022 with Genera Net. It showed a "predisposition to diabetes"—and I already had it. "Predisposition to gout"—and I developed it later. "Predisposition to Alzheimer's"—and my dad had it. It also indicated that metformin wouldn't be very effective for me.
In other words, some of the results turned out to be accurate. But keep in mind: these are probabilities, not diagnoses. If something concerning shows up, you need to confirm it with a doctor. Bottom line: They’re great for ancestry. For health... take the results with a grain of salt and always discuss them with a professional.

 

[M.A.R.]

However, it is said that they are of little use for health: they have "low predictive power" for diseases like diabetes and do not accurately measure genetic risk. The information is incomplete: the websites do not explain everything they should. They do not significantly change habits: knowing your risk does not make people take much better care of themselves. That is true; I stopped drinking alcohol after my third gout attack.