23andMe
by Mel
Jul 17, 2019 |
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The first company to begin offering autosomal DNA testing for ancestry, ethnicity, connecting with living relatives and exploring haplogroups, 23andMe is currently the only genealogical testing company that also offers in-depth DNA health testing—screening for over 75 traits, diseases, and predispositions.
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Summary
23andMe is a privately operated personal genomics and biotechnology company that offers direct-to-consumer genetic testing through do-it-at-home kits. The first company to begin offering autosomal DNA testing for ancestry, ethnicity, connecting with living relatives and exploring haplogroups, 23andMe is currently the only genealogical testing company that also offers in-depth DNA health testing—screening for over 75 traits, diseases, and predispositions.
How It Works?
23andMe offers two Personal Genetic Services: Ancestry and Health + Ancestry. Both plans require purchasing their kit, submitting a saliva sample, and sending the kit back to the 23andMe lab for analysis. The Ancestry Service helps you find out who you are by determining where your DNA and family come from. From the sample, the company collects, analyzes, and summarizes your DNA information to cover Ancestry Composition, Ancestry Detail Reports, Maternal (mtDNA) & Paternal (YDNA) Haplogroups, Neanderthal Ancestry, Your DNA Family, and also offers a DNA Relatives tool connecting you to relatives who share similar DNA. The Health + Ancestry Service provides all the findings of Ancestry plus insights on your health predispositions, traits, carrier status, and wellness in the form of 125 reports.
To start, select your preferred service on the 23andme.com homepage. Every kit includes easy-to-follow illustrated instructions, a saliva sample tube with a funnel, and a specimen bag to return your sample. Make sure you have an email address and access to a computer or mobile device with internet access. Use the barcode on the tube to register your account online at 23andme.com, which will be your exclusive personal ID between you and your sample. The testing lab never knows anything about you, only the anonymous barcode number. Strictly refrain from eating, drinking, smoking, chewing gum, or brushing your teeth at least 30 minutes before taking the test.
Once you’ve filled the saliva collection tube, sealed it, put it in the specimen bag, and packed it into the original box; simply mail it back to 23andMe using the enclosed mailing label, which includes pre-paid postage. It usually takes 6-8 weeks for your results to be available, after which the company will send an email notification. To read the results, just log in to the 23andMe.com website with your registered account.
In addition, if you pick only the Ancestry report to start with, you can still order the health report at any time in the future without having to send a new saliva sample. 23andMe’s autosomal bundle tests are available for download with raw results (which is a big spreadsheet showing what each marker was at the 700,000 spots tested), which are fully transferable to other testing services (but not available for upload of raw data from other sites).
That means you can take advantage of the additional genealogical resources on those other sites while still getting the full benefits of the 23andMe reports.
Price
With 23andMe, you have two options: Ancestry for $99 and Health + Ancestry for $199. Payment for the packages is through all major credit cards (Visa, Master Card, American Express, Discover) and PayPal. Buying more than one Health + Ancestry kit qualifies for 10% off each additional kit.
If you originally purchase the Ancestry kit only and decide to add the Health report at a later date, simply log in to your account and click on any or all of the Carrier Status, Health Predisposition, Traits, and Wellness pages which are accessible through your list of reports. The new reports will be added to your account immediately upon purchasing an upgrade without the need to submit a new sample. The upgrade fee costs $125, is non-refundable, and non-revocable once purchased.
Bonuses
Apart from 23andMe’s autosomal DNA testing that estimates ancestry by ethnicity or region (31 regions covered) and attempts to connect you with relatives through genetic matches (using their current database of 2 million contributors); the company also performs mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome DNA (YDNA) testing as well to provide information about your haplogroups. Haplogroups help trace your direct maternal or paternal family line’s locations and migration routes from 10,000 to as far back as 75,000 years in the past.
However, the standard test offered by 23andMe uses only rudimentary mtDNA and YDNA markers which will give you basic information about your ancestor’s regional origins, but is not as extensive as those gathered from full genome sequencing tests.
Meanwhile, The Neanderthal Ancestry report can tell you how much of your ancestry can be traced back to the Neanderthals. The analysis includes reviewing the over 2,000 genetic variants of known Neanderthal origin and identifying how many of them you have in your DNA. You can then compare your results with all 23andMe customers worldwide.
Finally, the best part of 23andMe may be its unique and exclusive Health Service. If you are interested in using genomic, DNA-based testing to monitor your well-being, 23andMe is, by far, the best genetic testing company in the business for screening your health and genetic susceptibilities. Their four health reports include:
• Carrier Status. Recessive genes do not directly affect your personal health, but they can reveal genetic mutations that may have consequences for your children or grandchildren. By analyzing your X-linked recessive genes, your Carrier Status Report screens for over 40 genetic disorders such as muscular dystrophy, cystic fibrosis, and blood disorders like hemophilia and sickle cell anemia.
• Health Risk Report. While the Carrier Status Report contains risk factors that may affect your progeny, your Health Risk Report contains genetic markers that have the potential to affect you. 23andMe has been approved by the FDA for autosomal dominant gene testing and early detection of 10 inherited disorders and diseases including Parkinson’s, Celiac, and late-onset Alzheimer’s diseases. Knowing the results of your Risk Report can be a great way to explore regular testing and preventative options with your primary care physician.
• Wellness Report. This report uses your genetics to determine your predisposition for body issues such as weight gain or loss, caffeine consumption, insomnia, or lactose intolerance. It isn’t in any way definitive, but the results of your Wellness Report may be the motivation you need to eat better, change your sleep habits, exercise more, or cut down on sodium intake.
• Trait Report. Based on this report, you may be able to predict your children’s appearance and physical attributes such as straight or curly hair, light or dark eyes, freckles, cleft chins, finger and toe length, and even male pattern baldness.
23andMe reminds customers that these health tests are in their development stages and should NOT be considered an official medical diagnosis. For any and all questions about your results, you should consult a medical professional.
Conclusion
There are over a dozen reputable genetic testing companies in the business, each with their own particular features and advantages. But if you want the significant benefits of genetic health screening on top of genealogy and ancestry testing, 23andMe is the only brand that has both, offering what is possibly the best overall value for your investment.
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23andMe
The first company to begin offering autosomal DNA testing for ancestry, ethnicity, connecting with living relatives and exploring haplogroups, 23andMe is currently the only genealogical testing company that also offers in-depth DNA health testing—screening for over 75 traits, diseases, and predispositions.
