Thoughts on taking the 23AndMe + health DNA test

[NicoAndTheNiners]

I'm considering this.

So as well as the usual have you got any Viking heritage and putting you into touch with possible distant relatives you can pay extra for an extended health test.

It will tell you from your dna if you're at increased risk from various illnesses including breast cancer/ovarian cancer and Alzheimer's. I guess if you know you have the gene for breast cancer you can choose if you want more frequent mammograms or even breast removal.

But not sure how I would feel if I knew I had an increased risk of Alzheimer's .....what can you do about it? I'd just spend the next however many years worrying about it?

I'd rather not know. I've done the ancestry dna though.

Think I will have to investigate if I can just decline Alzheimer test, I'd like the other not so serious stuff like do I have the gene for lactose intolerance, etc.

I've had both done and I have the gene for late onset alzheimer's. I plan to jump ship before there is any chance of this occurring though. I can't risk getting old for a variety of reasons.

It doesn't bother me on a day to day basis really. I'm a pretty philosophical person and can live with this knowledge. If you're the type to be very anxious or freak out about stuff, you might be better leaving the health info off.

I've done it and I also have the gene for late onset Alzheimer's, which I'm not a bit surprised about.

I don't understand people who are afraid to know things, like, we're all going to die of something. Not knowing doesn't prevent it happening.

When I did it several years ago there were some results that you had to opt into individually - I think they were breast cancer, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

I did it and was surprised to find I am not predisposed to Alzheimer's even though DGM had it.

I am really pleased I did it, it was interesting to learn more about myself

You can chose to opt out of the Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and cancer ones.

I'd spend ages looking at the confidence intervals for the supposed results. Everything is a probability. Most importantly, what are the modifiable risk factors?

yeah I could get breasts cut off if I had those menacing genes, but when would be a reasonable age to get them chopped? And I can't remove my brain if I have Alz genes. Are there any modifiable risk factors for Parkinsons? What would the benefit be of knowing I did or didn't have that one?