A few years ago, when Superman was looking for answers as to what was wrong with him, he came across this Web site. In short, it’s a company that offers a DNA test, taken simply from a saliva sample (through the mail). From it, you gain insights into health risks, personal traits (likely eye color, hair color, etc.), potential drug responses, etc. It can also trace your paternal/maternal lines and potentially find relatives. The test is intriguing and from what we have seen so far (14 family members have taken it), very accurate. Not surprisingly, Superman’s top 5 health risks included Colorectal cancer, Celiac, and Ulcerative Colitis. It was actually very validating to see that he actually carries those risks in his DNA. As a side note, we did not provide any information to them regarding our health or medical record. We only provided our names and birth dates.
Here is a screen shot of my “Health and traits” page:
Each health trait/drug response, etc. written in blue can be clicked on to learn more information. I found out through this test that I also carry the Celiac gene. So, we made the decision to have our oldest son (our only biological child) take the test to see if he was at risk for Celiac. We found out that Celiac disease has two parts; a “good” part and a “bad” part (this is obviously way oversimplifying). He happened to get the “good” trait from both of us, and therefore was at a decreased risk for Celiac. Not that it really matters since we don’t eat grains 90% of the time, but it’s good information for him to have for the future. We ended up getting the test done for each of our children. We found out one of our sons has a 58% chance of heart disease and a 39% chance of Type II Diabetes. It was nice to see that on paper, as we had some great conversations with him regarding diet and why it’s so important that he eat healthfully, especially as he grows and gains more independence and doesn’t have mom there to “encourage” him to eat well. These numbers do not guarantee that he will develop these diseases, but show where his weaknesses lie health-wise.
Again, just because you have an increased risk in one of these areas does not guarantee you will actually get that disease. It just tells you what your percentage risk is compared to the general population.
Here’s an expanded view of my disease risks:
Interesting, right?
None of this information altered what we were already doing, but it did encourage us to continue on the way we’re going. If you are interested in learning more about your “make up,” I highly suggest this test!
*Note: This company has not provided me with any incentive to promote their product. This is merely my own personal experience and something that I felt I would share with my readers in case it would help anyone else.
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