Jul 27, 2009 11:19 pm US/Eastern
At-Home Test Reveals Potential Risk For Diseases
(CBS4)
If there was a way to discover how likely it is you'll get a potentially deadly disease, would you want to know?
There's a relatively new at-home genetic test that can reveal not only your ancestry and your traits, but also your chance of inheriting certain diseases; such has breast and ovarian cancer, diabetes, crohn's disease or even Parkinson's.
"My maternal grandmother had breast cancer with a mastectomy. My father was diagnosed with Type II diabetes as an adult," said Stephanie Mays. She wants to know what her medical future holds, mainly for her family's sake.
"My son is 8, my daughter is 4, so I'd like to be around for them, and my grandchildren," said Mays.
That's where
23 And Me comes in.
The at-home DNA test promises insight into your chances of getting any one or more of the 100-plus diseases on its database; diseases with specific gene markers.
The results are based on genetic data from research.
The test is simple, just spit into a test tube, seal it and send it off.
Founder Linda Avey says the concept behind 23 And Me is simple; it arms you with information to lead a healthier life.
"We look at it like getting information, sort of like if you get your PSA for prostate cancer or your cholesterol checked," says Avey. "It's not so much diagnostic. It's data points."
Avey says it's information people are hungry for.
"What we're seeing in health care is consumers and patients are realizing they have to take ownership of their information, their health," says Avey.
When Mays got her test results, she says it found that she has a risk for blood clots, something she did not see coming.
"It is DVT, which is the formation of blood clots, deep within the body, usually within the legs. I was not expecting that at all," said Mays.
The test also shows her risks for cancer and diabetes is low. Her next step is taking the results to her doctor and talking prevention.
Each user of
23 And Me has to click on a consent box on-line, acknowledging the information you find out could be life changing.
But the results aren't all about your health. They also provide some fun information, like where your ancestors are from and information on other physical traits.
And remember, the results you get are based on a known pool of data, research culled from thousands of people. As the data grows, your results become clearer.
In addition, since most of the data is from Caucasian people, this kit might not reveal as much about African Americans or anyone in a minority ethnic group.
The cost of the test is $400 for the full edition or $100 for the research edition.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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