Could Genetic Testing Services Inform Your Lifestyle?
Services that promise to analyze consumers’ DNA in order to give them information about their genetics have been around for years. The most notable of these services are ones that provide information about a person’s ancestry, breaking down a person’s genetic information by geographical region and even connecting relatives who may not have known that they are related with one another. One of the most popular genetic testing services, 23andMe, even promises to inform consumers of their genetic predispositions for certain illnesses and traits, as well as carrier traits which do not manifest in the individual being tested but could affect the person’s family. A new service, Gini, aims to take the field of personal genomics a step further by not only identifying a wide range of health characteristics obtained from a person’s DNA, but by synthesizing this information into an extremely personalized lifestyle plan, which includes nutritional advice about what type of food is best for your unique genetic composition and exercise programs tailored to your genes.
What differentiates Gini from similar services is the functionality added by the company’s app, which requires a monthly subscription of $9.99 to operate. The app, which is available for both Android and iOS devices, is the primary method of interacting with the results of your genetic test, as it displays lists of foods which the company claims are good for you and list of foods that aren’t, and a behavioral coaching feature, which leverages principles of psychology to help you develop healthier habits and reduce risks of developing illnesses, particularly ones that the company identifies you having a genetic predisposition towards. You can buy a genetic testing kit from the company for $25 with the purchase of a subscription, or you can import your genetic information from a previous test conducted by 23andMe, ancestry.com or myheritage. One disadvantage of Gini’s service is that the information provided by the company is limited to health advice, as Gini does not inform users about their geneology in any way.
Gini is not the only genetic testing service promising to improve their consumers’ health through genetic testing. Another service, Habit combines DNA testing with blood test results to provide a more detailed and ostensible accurate portrait of an individual’s dietary needs. With the slogan “Your body knows what it needs. Now you can too,” Habit advertises itself as allowing for a more holistic approach to personalized health recommendations, and their app even synchronizes with the Fitbit activity tracker for even more data to work with. Habit works by selecting one of seven categories, which include “Protein Seeker” and “Fat Seeker,” that best summarizes a person’s diet needs, and encourages users to stick to a particular diet through an app. Habit offers similar features as Gini, but is cheaper overall, as a one-year subscription costs $49. However, Habit does not offer information about genetic diseases and traits or ancestry.
While acknowledging that genetic composition plays a role in how an individual processes food, doctors and researchers stress that the genetic component only accounts for a small percentage of illnesses like diabetes and obesity that are related to nutritional habits, and as such, relying on genetic testing for personalized diet and exercise information is generally unnecessary. Other factors that influence a person’s health include their age, weight, how they react to sugar and starch, and even their gut microbiomes, none of which are accounted for in DNA tests. Instead, medical professionals point to a person’s behavior as a better predictor of overall health and well-being, and urge patients to focus instead on how to change their habits to improve their overall health over time. However, the general opinion among medical professionals is that if they motivate people to take a more proactive approach in maintaining their health and well-being, genetic tests are not harmful and have the potential to be a useful tool to encourage people to adopt a healthier lifestyle.
Health advocates and medical professionals caution, however, that results of consumer-grade genetic tests should be taken with a grain of salt. Not every service is held to the same standard of accuracy, and it is possible for DNA samples to be contaminated, either while they are being collected by the consumer or by laboratory technicians mishandling samples. Additionally, while some tests offer information about a person’s predisposition to cancers and other illnesses, this information is incomplete, as only a limited number of diseases can be screened for, which can give people whose test results come back negative for genetic diseases a false understanding of their risks. And deficiencies in the testing procedures can lead to false positives. Because of these concerns, as well as the high likelihood of consumers misinterpreting their test results, consumer level genetic testing services are no replacement for a genetic counselor, who utilize more thorough and specialized testing procedures and are specially trained to conduct and interpret test results.
Tyler Olhorst is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. You can reach him at inquiries@thenationaldigest.com.
