[NemesisClaws]

Has anyone ever tried to do a dna testing for their genetic background? As of right now, they're holding off on giving you medical background due to FDA approval, but you can still find out about your genetic background.

Besides the obvious wanting to know where you come from, I've been thinking that the medical aspects of this, if true, has to be very helpful to us when trying to lose weight. In my own family, I have some "legends" that I don't know is true or not, simply because half of my family hates doctors with a passion and just diagnosed themselves.

Anyway, just musing over taking one of these tests, and wondering what ya'll thoughts are on it.

[vealcalf2000]

This is interesting. I'm adopted and have run into dead ends trying to find my biological family. I've always wanted to know more about me though. LOL when people make comments about their descendants being Italian, Irish, Polish, etc. I'm always a bit envious wishing I had this background information.

Have you linked up with a site for this info or a certain company? I'd love to hear more.

[PatLib]

I'd be interested, just to see what's there. Particularly, since I don't know much about my paternal grandfather. But the last time I read about having your DNA tested for any markers related to health can be expensive if not recommended by your doctor but that was years ago.

But I think it depends on personality. Breast cancer runs in my family and my cousin is like OBSESSED with it. I mean beyond getting the mammograms and eating a good diet. It really controls her life, I wonder how she would respond if the test came back with a marker for genetic disorder even though it is recessive in her and she doesn't plan on having kids. She would probably still flip out over it!

[Desiderata]

I did 23andme a few years ago, before the FDA injunction on how they present medical info. It was not terribly useful, for my purposes (esoteric health issues that likely have genetic components, but are not well understood yet) -- but I still found it pretty interesting. If anything, lots of good news for me in terms of no red flag issues, maybe glaucoma to look forward to in 50 years or so. (This is assuming the results are accurate, of course.) I haven't logged back in to see how they present the info now, post-injunction. You can actually download your entire sequence in an XML file and niche sites have popped up that do further microanalysis of specific SNPs for some esoteric issues, which is really cool -- THAT has been tremendously useful to me. I am not sure if there are any such sites that deal with weight loss-adjacent issues, though...(a quick google shows that there are, actually! Who knows how reputable, etc - most of this is just so nascent. It's exciting to think of where we'll be in 10 years, at least.)

Other than that, I just keep getting emails from them about 5th cousin genetic connections.

[NemesisClaws]

At this time, I've been checking into 23andme.com website but keeping it on the back burner for now because of the price. I want to do one on myself and on my mother, since she's adopted. However, that would be over $200 some dollars, which is some rainy day change I don't have just yet.

But if nothing else, it could give me some more clues into my family's genetic background that I haven't been able to find out otherwise.