“So much of growing and learning about what works best for you and your body is just trial and error, experimenting. Like many of you, our team has tried a multitude of different testing companies, products and supplements. Although everyone has their own journey and is entirely unique, we hope these product testimonials are useful to you as you continue to try new things to optimize your health.” – DrBonnie360
23andMe is one of the most well known genetic testing companies available. I chose to do 23andMe over two years ago and continue to log into my account to look at the updates regularly. More specifically, they use a saliva sample to do a DNA panel. I did the full package, both ancestry and health report.
What do they do?
They provide 90+ reports that allow you to learn more about your health, wellness, carrier status, and ancestry. These updates are continuously updated and added to. 23andMe is linked with scientific researchers who apply to access your DNA. You can be further involved by taking surveys to contribute to the database while learning more about yourself.
What can you learn?
Personally, I have learned a lot about myself and enjoy feeling connected to the expanding science database. I was most curious about my health reports since there has been breast and ovarian cancer in my family. I found that I do not have the variants of the BRCA gene associated with higher risk for developing breast cancer. Despite that, this is no guarantee that I will not get breast cancer.
All in all, 23andMe does a great job at explaining how to interpret the results and the limitations that genetic testing has. They also continue to give the user the ability to not view potentially more sensitive health reports like any genetic risk factors associated with Alzheimer’s or various cancers. In addition to these more serious reports, they provide extremely interesting and strange reports too! Some of my favorites are the “Muscle Composition” and the “Asparagus Oder (in urine) Detection”.
I continue to find 23andMe easy to use, informative and would recommend it to anyone looking for a genetic testing company.
Becca Malizia, age 25 → lactose intolerant, gluten sensitive
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