Health genetic testing has been specially developed to help identify certain hereditary illnesses you may be carrying and more importantly, give you a fairly good idea of the likelihood of you developing these illnesses. The test is really becoming popular as people become more aware of DNA and the study of genetics and wish to learn as much as possible about their genes and the stuff they are made of.
What Does DNA predisposition testing do?
Genetic predisposition DNA testing, or DNA health testing as some refer to it, is based on analysis of what are called Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms and these are linked with the onset of hereditary illnesses. The list of conditions that your genetic test report can highlight is very extensive and moreover, for each illness, the chances of you developing the illnesses will be expressed as simply percentages.
The illnesses and number of illnesses of course vary from company to company but generally all DNA testing companies focus on illnesses falling within the following 4 categories.
- Immune system (eg. Multiple sclerosis)
- Cardiovascular conditions (eg. Heart Diseases)
- General health (eg. Obesity)
- Cancers (eg. Lung cancer)
- Ageing (eg. Alzheimer’s disease)
Some companies make certain claims which you need to be aware of and which have no scientific grounding. These may include linking your personality to your genes and telling you your predisposition to pessimism or altruism or perhaps to being artistic or musical. There is no scientific backing to support these.
Some issues People have with Health Genetic Tests
Some argue that a genetic test may condition people not to have children if they know they have a predisposition to certain illnesses. This worry about the tests comes from, for example, some Catholics, who may be concerned that it may thwart the main aim of marriage- to have children.
Others worry about people who may solely believe in biological determinism; these people do not take into consideration the importance of lifestyle and environment and how these weigh considerably on the development of certain genetic illnesses. They simply take their lives and their development as depending solely on their genes. Genetic tests are sometimes carried out on unborn child and the baby DNA profile mapped; whether the child might suffer from Down’s syndrome or Turner’s can be found out in this way.
Genetic Predisposition Test: Living longer and Better
Genetic health tests are a relatively new field of research. They have proved useful to many who have taken control of their lives, making conscious and informed choices about how to live. If you have a high predisposition to lung cancer: avoid active and passive smoking, avoid heavily polluted areas etc. This is just one example, but for different illnesses you can take a different approach to your life. Moreover, the test is far from expensive and if you think you the important information it can tell you and how you can use it to a positive outcome, most would think it worthwhile to undergo health genetic testing.
