Thinking about trying this DNA test: bad idea?

[manlymatt83]

Just for fun, I think it would be good to know what I'm prone to:

http://www.amazon.com/23andMe-Person.../dp/B002QPR852

Have others considered doing this specific test? Looks like it's pretty controversial.

 

[manlymatt83]

EDIT: What is dynamite data? When I kept pasting a link it kept updating the link with that URL.

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

EDIT: What is dynamite data? When I kept pasting a link it kept updating the link with that URL.

It's AT's unreliable tracker provider. They track your links to certain retail sites so AT gets a cut if you buy something. Would be just swell if it wasn't a slow and unreliable piece of shit.

 

[manlymatt83]

It's AT's unreliable tracker provider. They track your links to certain retail sites so AT gets a cut if you buy something. Would be just swell if it wasn't a slow and unreliable piece of shit.

Ah, got it

 

[digitaldurandal]

I did it when it was on sale for 99$ last month. The data I got was interesting. They didn't find me prone to anything specifically bad or anything that I did not know I had issues with so for me I didn't get a huge benefit.

However if you have certain gene mutations you have a much larger chance to develop certain issues than others and they will search them out. Also some factors increase more than others. For instance if you have the genetic markers for Parkinsons you are something like 56% likely to develop it by the age of 26. Others are very small, you may be 2.2x more likely to have issues with your prostate, but looking at the percents it moves you from .01 to .022% chance etc (made the example up)

 

[Ruptga]

If it's accurate and the price is right, why wouldn't you?

 

[techs]

If it's accurate and the price is right, why wouldn't you?

Uh, at some point the info may no longer be private. For instance, if there is a security breach, or if in the future health insurance companies or employers may ask if you know if you have any genetic predispositions, etc.

I would only do it if you could be assured the results are blind insofar as the testing lab is concerned. They should not be able to associate your results with your name.

 

[Ruptga]

mm, good point

 

[MrMatt]

i got it on the 99 dollar special too. They just got my sample in the lab. I can't wait to see

 

[mmntech]

Looks like $515 well wasted. They're controversial because a lot of doctors believe they're not accurate. Before doing anything like this, I'd talk to your doctor to see what they think.

 

[rockyct]

I had one of these genetic tests done. I thought it was pretty interesting. If it's cheap enough, I'd say go for it, but not for $500. I had a thread about it here too: http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2067782

 

[ahenkel]

Hmm this would be interesting, seeing as how I'm the bastard son of a teenage mother. I don't really know what my biological dads gene's are like.

 

[DrPizza]

There was an article in one of the science magazines recently that discussed those tests. Conclusion: don't waste your money. They even showed that when getting tested by different companies, the results were sometimes contradictory.

 

[Aluvus]

I generally do not go for medical tests whose validity and security are currently the subject of a Congressional inquiry, but that's just me.