This time of year many people might want to give the gift of genetic history to a loved one. They promise to help you find out about your health risks, learn where you came from or to whom you might be related.
But before you use or gift one of these tests, there are some very important things you need to remember.
A lot of secrets are locked in your DNA. Whether you’re at risk for inheriting disease, to what part of the world you came from or even might help you find a long lost relative. But just because that information is available at your fingertips doesn’t mean you’ll get all the answers, and in fact, you may unknowingly provide some you didn’t intend to others.
Those "direct-to-consumer" genetic tests can be done in the comfort of your own home without a doctor or genetic counselor, but the Cleveland Clinic’s Charis Eng, M.D., Ph.D., chair of Cleveland Clinic’s Genomic Medicine Institute, told us people should be wary of these types of do-it-yourself test kits.
“Many of them don’t test every single gene, although they claim to,” Dr. Eng said. “Some of them actually just look at certain spots, so you can be either falsely alarmed or falsely lulled into complacency and that’s never good.”
Dr. Eng said results from at-home genetic tests can be easily misinterpreted and shouldn’t be taken at face value. She told us it’s important to know that some direct-to-consumer genetic tests only report limited information for health conditions, and often don’t provide the full picture of disease risk.
She adds that genetic counselors are an important piece of the puzzle when it comes to interpreting genetic testing results. A genetic counselor can explain the pros and cons of testing and talk through potential results and what they mean. They will also analyze family history to determine if more extensive genetic testing is even necessary.
“If after a personal family history there’s no indication; you don’t need genetic testing because you are mostly likely not at genetic risk of disease,” Eng said. “So, it’s good to have that talk with an expert. Don’t do it alone; you are not alone.”
Dr. Eng encourages people who believe that a disease runs in their family to seek out a genetic counselor. She said some centers even offer online genetics counseling for people who don’t have an expert nearby.
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