5 Most Common Genetic Health Risks That Can Be Tested At Home

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5 Most Common Genetic Health Risks That Can Be Tested At Home

It can be difficult to choose the genetic tests that will be most instructive and beneficial for you because direct-to-consumer genetic testing companies provide a wide range of tests. Consider your goals for the test before deciding to take one. While some genetic tests sold directly to consumers are very specific (like paternity tests), other services offer a wide range of health, ancestry, and lifestyle data. There are many lab tests at home that can be conducted easily.

What is genetic testing?
A genetic test checks for gene changes in a person. Genetic diseases can result from gene changes (also called genetic disorders). They may also increase a person's risk of developing certain medical conditions (like some cancers). There are some hereditary diseases that can run in families.
People undergo genetic testing to see whether they themselves have genetic changes or whether they can impart genetic mutations to their offspring. Genetic counselors assist clients in selecting the tests to have and deciphering the results of those ...
... tests.

How are genetic tests carried out?
Small amounts of saliva or blood samples can be used for genetic testing (spit). Genetic testing on amniotic fluid (via amniocentesis) or the placenta in expectant women is possible (through chorionic villus sampling).

What Sorts of Genetic Examinations Exist?
Genetic tests come in a variety of types. Some examine just a few genes, while others examine the whole chromosome. Some study unique proteins are known as enzymes. Families are assisted in selecting the best test by doctors and genetic counselors.

Major categories of genetic tests offered directly to consumers are:

Disease risk and health
The test results provide genetic risk analysis for a number of prevalent diseases that are brought on by a combination of environmental variables, numerous gene variations, and other genetic factors. Celiac disease, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease are a few examples of these widespread diseases. Some businesses also take into account a person's carrier status for uncommon diseases like cystic fibrosis and sickle cell anemia.
A person is considered a carrier if they have a gene mutation in one copy of a gene that, when found in both copies of the gene, results in a genetic condition. Furthermore, certain genetic changes that may be linked to other health-related characteristics, such as weight and metabolism—the process by which a person's body turns food into energy—may be checked for during the tests. These examinations could potentially reveal information regarding a person's potential drug reactions (pharmacogenomics).

Genealogy or Ancestry
The results of these tests offer information on a person's ethnicity, possible ancestry, and genetic ties between families.

Kinship
These tests' outcomes can reveal whether the subjects were biologically linked to one another. For instance, kinship testing can determine whether someone is the biological father of someone else (paternity testing).

Lifestyle
These tests' findings are supposed to offer insight into lifestyle choices like wine preferences, skincare, weight loss, and lifestyle elements like nutrition and exercise. Numerous clinical labs that provide this kind of testing also sell services, goods, or programs that they have tailored according to the results of your exam.

Obesity
Obesity is among the most prevalent issues facing humanity. Obese people are those whose BMI is greater than or equal to 30. Hereditary genes are still one of the major reasons causing obesity in a person, despite the fact that a sedentary lifestyle is currently thought to be one of its causes.

A Few other genetic health risks that can be done at home include:

Bipolar disorder
Multiple mood swings are an indication of a severe mental condition. It is one of the most widespread illnesses that is passed on through the family. In more than 90% of all cases that are known to have occurred, a patient's illness was brought on by inheriting from a parent.