23andMe Health reports: Worth it?

[Hermes]

Has anyone done the 23andme health reports? If so, are they worth it? I'm mid-age, in great health, get annual blood draws with my doc, and already know I like cilantro and going to bed early (yes, I picked out two of the most ridiculous test results to be a jerk). But, I don't know who one of my parents is, so I could see it being helpful from that perspective.

 

[Winemaker]

No.

 

[Marita40]

I do a lot of genealogy and have done ancestry DNA. I have really enjoyed such research and have met cousins I didn’t know I had. But I don’t think the health reports are worth it. Even if genetically disposed to an illness, lifestyle and many other factors get in the way.

 

[Scratchy]

You could discover you have or are prone to developing an untreatable condition which will significantly shorten your life. Most people would be devastated and profoundly depressed by that. I wouldn't do it.

 

[target2019]

We both tested with Ancestry, so no health reports, etc. I uploaded our kit to other sites, like Promethease. The report from Promethease is exhaustive, and you get a good sense of how complicated things are. It requires much reading of referenced articles, etc.

We just decided to test with 23andMe and bypassed the extra expense of health reports. From my reading of posts on several boards, I don't think it is highly regarded by geneticists.

One thing I've found interesting is the number of kits at each site. This came from a recent seminar.
Millions of tests at site.
21.2 ancestry
12 23andme
5.4 MyHeritage
1.6 FTDNA

If you're looking for US relatives then I'd start with Ancestry since it has the largest reference population. And then you'd test at 23andMe. Either of those two can be uploaded to the other sites. Good luck with your search.

 

[Sunset]

We both tested with Ancestry, so no health reports, etc. I uploaded our kit to other sites, like Promethease. The report from Promethease is exhaustive, and you get a good sense of how complicated things are. It requires much reading of referenced articles, etc.

We just decided to test with 23andMe and bypassed the extra expense of health reports. From my reading of posts on several boards, I don't think it is highly regarded by geneticists.

One thing I've found interesting is the number of kits at each site. This came from a recent seminar.
Millions of tests at site.
21.2 ancestry
12 23andme
5.4 MyHeritage
1.6 FTDNA

If you're looking for US relatives then I'd start with Ancestry since it has the largest reference population. And then you'd test at 23andMe. Either of those two can be uploaded to the other sites. Good luck with your search.

I don't think you can upload 23andMe DNA results to Ancestry, please correct me if I'm wrong, as I looked and couldn't find it.

 

[target2019]

Last sentence may not have been clear enough. I'd start with Ancestry and then test with 23andMe. Either of those two can be uploaded to the rest of sites mentioned, when you desire.

So, if you want something from Ancestry or 23andMe, you need to test there. Then you can upload to the remaining sites, and probably incur a smaller fee to use tools.

 

[athena53]

I'd love to know but you have no control over ow the results are "shared". The waivers always say that you grant them permission to share with "selected partners" or similar weasel words but WTH does that mean?

I'll sign up with the first one that releases my information only after telling me what will be shared with whom and with my prior approval each time.

 

[Sunset]

Last sentence may not have been clear enough. I'd start with Ancestry and then test with 23andMe. Either of those two can be uploaded to the rest of sites mentioned, when you desire.

So, if you want something from Ancestry or 23andMe, you need to test there. Then you can upload to the remaining sites, and probably incur a smaller fee to use tools.

Thanks.... That is what I believed.

I did do the 23andme test, as it was stuck in my brain, rather than ancestry which would have a better percentage change to find relatives.

 

[Sunset]

I'd love to know but you have no control over ow the results are "shared". The waivers always say that you grant them permission to share with "selected partners" or similar weasel words but WTH does that mean?

I'll sign up with the first one that releases my information only after telling me what will be shared with whom and with my prior approval each time.

My concern was health insurance companies using it to deny coverage, but now that I'm Medicare age that concern is pretty much gone.

If anyone wanted my DNA, they can pick up my coffee cup any day, so it's a secret that is impossible to hide.

 

[target2019]

I'd love to know but you have no control over ow the results are "shared". The waivers always say that you grant them permission to share with "selected partners" or similar weasel words but WTH does that mean?

I'll sign up with the first one that releases my information only after telling me what will be shared with whom and with my prior approval each time.

DNA Detectives on FB might be able to advise on that. They probably know what can be protected or not with each site. Each site has a different setup so you need to make sure to only share what you want. The partner thing is a little trickier. I do know that Promethease was acquired by MyHeritage. So I had a decision to either delete my data, or create an account to get access to all of their DNA matches. Because time is of the essence, I now search on MyHeritage too.

I'm not as concerned as some, as I'm trying to nail down specific geo locations which can be quite difficult. I've been buidling a decent tree with the help of others from the past, and DNA matches have done some incredible work on their own and shared with me.

So there are tradeoffs. A defense contractor job led to my entire background and fingerprints being spilled to foreign governments. I'm not gonna hide because of the bad stuff.

 

[Katsmeow]

I do a lot of volunteer work with DNA (I help people use DNA to find unknown relatives such as parents, grandparents, etc.). I have had testing at 23andme although it was several years ago. I am comfortable with 23andme's privacy provisions:

https://www.23andme.com/privacy/

I do at all characterize their practices as giving them permission to share with selected partners.

As far the validity of the health reports, I do think that 23andme has some reports that can let you know of some pretty serious health risks and also notify you of carrier status. Most of these seem to be pretty rare things. I have tons of reports that basically say "Variant not detected."

23andme will tell you have the APOE4 gene variant that increases somewhat the risk of developing late onset Alzheimer's disease. About 25% of people with European ancestry who test at 23andme will have at least one copy of the variant (2 copies is much more rare). Many people will not want to know they have even one copy of this gene variant. While it does increase the risk of Alzheimer's it is still much more likely than not that someone with one copy will not develop Alzheimer's. Still many people do not want to know this information and there is a fairly significant chance of having the variant. Other people though would like to know this information.

I also did look up everything on Promethease (long before MH acquired them). I found that both more and less useful. It is interesting in that you can look up any SNP that you have test results on and see what the research shows on that SNP. So much much more info available than on 23andme.

However, there are problems as well. First, there is no one really telling you how important the increase in risk is or how strong are the research results. 23andme does explain all of that. Promethease was more like the Wild West.

So, I may have various genes that increase my risk of X cancer and others that reduce the risk. What does it all mean in toto? No clue really how to put it all together.

Also, some of the research studies they report on are really limited. There was a deadly cancer that it said I had a much increased risk of. I went and read the study. It was one study that was very small and involved a very limited number of people. Certainly something that might result in more research but nothing to get panicked about. But if you don't go and read the research it is easy to get panicked about stuff.

 

[Gumby]

You could discover you have or are prone to developing an untreatable condition which will significantly shorten your life. Most people would be devastated and profoundly depressed by that. I wouldn't do it.

I am reminded of a hypothetical in human resources training that was supposed to help people "discover their values". The hypothetical was that you were in a spacecraft that was stuck in orbit and running out of oxygen in a few hours. The question was "what will you do with those hours?" Some said they would pray, some would reflect on their lives, some would think of their families, some contemplate the mysteries of the universe, and still others would cry. I would work on the spacecraft.

In this view, I am inspired by my friend, Jim. He developed pancreatic cancer and knew he would not survive it. His mind was unaffected, and he spent his final months working hard to provide for his wife and family after he was gone. He was methodical and deliberate, and I am in awe of his dedication to the project. I only hope that I could follow in his footsteps should the time come.

 

[corn18]

I'm adopted and don't know who my biological parents are. Would this test be helpful for family history type stuff?

 

[Katsmeow]

I'm adopted and don't know who my biological parents are. Would this test be helpful for family history type stuff?

Almost certainly.

I am an adoptee. I identified my deceased biological father through DNA testing. I tested at both Ancestry and 23andme. I have helped adoptees or children of adoptees find biological family as well as people who are not adopted but have unknown parentage (usually father).

Every search is different. Most of the time for adoptees born in the US searches are not nearly as difficult as people think they are. In my experience, most people who have their DNA tested do not know how to systemically use the results to identify biological family.

For example, I worked on a search where the adoptee had tested I think a couple of years before I got involved. When I was able to see the adoptee's Ancestry matches, I was able to identify the birth mother in less than an hour. It was extremely easy to do. However, the adoptee did not know how to do this and so had made little progress.

I had an adoptive cousin who had no information about biological parents at all (except she knew it was a private adoption and possibly what city her birth mother lived in). I was able to identify both birth parents in less than 24 hours.

On the other hand, there are searches that are far more difficult particularly if the adoptee is not from the US or a birth parent is from a recent immigrant family.

In most cases, adoptees (particularly those who test at Ancestry) will have at least some relatively close biological relatives who have tested. Most of the time it is not the biological parent. But, that doesn't matter. I identified my birth father through DNA results that were no closer than 3rd cousins at the time (that was several years ago. Now I have closer matches on Ancestry).

I recommend testing at Ancestry and 23andme. Ancestry became you will have more matches there than anywhere else. However, you don't know where biological family may have tested. You can't upload 23andme results to Ancestry so must test there to find people who tested there. When I tested at 23andme I found that my full biological aunt had tested (my birth mother's sister). I had already found my birth mother so it wasn't new information. But if I had not found my birth mother I would have found her from that. Had I not tested at 23andme I would not have had that information.

Everywhere else -- FTDNA, MyHeritage, Gedmatch -- you can upload your Ancestry results to so you don't need to test at those places.

While Ancestry has the most matches they have the poorest DNA tools so sometimes searches are completed at the other sites.

Feel free to send me a private message if you want. I enjoy talking about this and would be happy to help.

 

[stepford]

Depends on your definition of "worth it". 23&Me have sales all the time and for $100 it was worth it to me - even though I didn't find out I had any big 'gotcha' genetic risk factors. Found a few random relatives and got a bit more insight into some of my predispositions. I've dropped a Ben on way less useful/entertaining stuff than that.

 

[Dalmore]

YMMV. I did the 23&Me and discovered that I am a carrier for Hemochromatosis - only one gene. In talking about it with one of my sisters, she decided to test also, and we found that she has Hemochromatosis - both genes. Since menopause, she has started having various health issues with no correlating cause and hemochromatosis was the underlying condition. After visiting with the her doctor, she is now having blood drawn on a regular basis to keep her iron level normal. While we have no way to test, we believe that our mother also had hemochromatosis as she started having very similar health issues as my sister when she hit her 60s. So in our case, the test literally saved my sister's life.

 

[ERhoosier]

Nope.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/home-genetic-test-false-positives_n_5ac27188e4b04646b6451c42

 

[rodi]

In my case, DH and I tested long ago enough that they didn't charge extra for the health report. I wanted info on the BRCA gene. That is actionable information - if you have the BRCAA gene you can be extra diligent in mammograms, breast exams... My mom died of ovarian cancer... if I had the BRCA gene I would have had a long talk with my doc about prophylactically removing my overies (I was past childbearing.). In my husband's case he wanted to know if he had the alzheimer gene. Both of his parents have/had dementia. We would have made some different choices about some financial and lifestyle choices if he had tested with it.

So both of those cases were actionable info.

One of my children had behavioral issues that a friend suggested getting tested for the MTHFR gene mutations. I checked my husband's genetic date in promethease, and my genetic data. Hubby had one of the mutations, I had the other. We ran both kids through 23andMe and found out one kid matched my 1 genetic mutation, and the other kid had both mutations that are known to cause problems. We started the family on methylized b9 and b12 vitamins (methylfolate and methylcolban) and saw immediate improvement in behavior. Folate is important for your brain chemistry - but if you have the MTHFR mutation, your body doesn't properly break it down to cross the blood brain barrier. So your neurotransmitters aren't properly regulated. It was HUGE to learn that over the counter vitamins could fix a chronic problem.

So for our family - the health report was good... although the MTHFR stuff wasn't on the health report - had to drill down into the raw data to get to that.