Photo by the University of Michigan

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration allowed genetic testing service 23andMe to begin marketing tests designed to provide you with risk information regarding several genetic conditions, including Parkinson’s disease, late-onset Alzheimer’s disease, and Celiac disease.



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The Personal Genome Service Genetic Health Risk test runs for $200, and looks for genetic variants associated with 10 major diseases. The idea is that you take the test and learn you have a predisposition to certain conditions, then you can make more educated decisions about your lifestyle choices, take preventative measures, and have more informed discussions with your doctor. The test looks for genetic variants that are associated with these diseases and conditions:

Parkinson’s disease

Late-onset Alzheimer’s disease

Celiac disease

Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency

Early-onset primary dystonia

Factor XI deficiency

Gaucher disease type 1

Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase deficiency

Hereditary hemochromatosis

Hereditary thrombophilia



But as Dr. Jeffry Shuren, director of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, makes clear in the press release, these tests cannot determine your overall risk of developing these conditions, only that you possess the genetic variants that may put you at risk. And that risk is only one piece of the much larger puzzle. Other factors, like your lifestyle and environment, contribute to the development of conditions like these.

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Still, this testing opens the door to more awareness. 23andMe says the first set of tests will be released this month in their Health + Ancestry Service, with more to follow as they become available. If you purchase the service, you’ll get those new tests when they’re ready.