- Home DNA test kits like 23andMe are becoming more popular thanks to their convenience.
- These tests can often tell you if you have an elevated risk of developing a serious condition later in life.
- You could uncover family secrets such as that you have half-siblings you never knew about, or aren’t biologically related to your family.
- If you consent to have your data used in anonymous form for scientific research, you could find that your anonymized data is part of a significant scientific paper in the future.
Home DNA test kits are more popular than ever. While you probably expect to learn some interesting things about your ancestors and maybe turn up an unexpected cousin or three, there are a lot of surprising things you could learn if you take one, as well.
Here are 10 things that DNA tests can tell you that you had no idea about.
If your home DNA test includes a health component, you could learn whether you're at greater genetic risk for certain conditions and diseases.
In 2017, the FDA approved 23andMe to test for a range of 10 diseases. A year later, the FDA gave 23andMe clearance to tell consumers about their risk of cancer — but as NPR pointed out, it’s important to note that this is meant as a genetic risk assessment, and not any kind of medical diagnosis.
People may or may not want to know this information about themselves — particularly in the case of diseases or conditions where there’s currently no action you can take to prevent it, such as Alzheimer's.
It's worth remembering that even if your genetic test results show an increased risk, that doesn’t necessarily mean you will for sure develop a specific condition later in life.
Health insurance companies can't legally raise your rates due to genetic health risks uncovered through one of these tests — but life insurance companies might.
State and federal laws govern health insurers and discrimination against you based on genetic risk information uncovered via tests like this. But as certified genetic counselor Scott Weissman told WTTW, that's not the case with life insurance companies, which in some cases could make policy or coverage decisions based on that information.
The specific data different companies provide about and to you may differ.
As Business Insider's Lydia Ramsey discovered through taking several tests herself, the data revealed — as well as individual privacy concerns about how your data is stored, with whom it is shared, and how you can opt out of sharing if you prefer — differs from company to company.
Also, each company that offers home DNA test kits for sale is testing slightly differently, and also relying on a completely different database to which it is comparing your results.
As Gizmodo writer Kristen V. Brown discovered in January 2018, ancestral DNA tests are comparisons between your DNA and that of the current database of whichever company's test you've taken. It's comparative — and inexact because not all ancestries are equally well-represented.
"We have users around the world but of course there are going to be certain markets that are more interested in genealogy, or have more access to the internet to use our services. This is also the case with DNA testing — DNA testing is better known in the US and interest in DNA testing has exploded in Europe over the last few months. Over the coming months and years we expect to see even greater interest in both of these areas, all around the world," MyHeritage PR director Rafi Mendelsohn told INSIDER.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider