Don't believe the hype: DNA tests
A simple search of the internet will bring up hundreds of DNA testing kits, purchased over the counter and promising to resolve all your future health concerns. Change your life for the better, improve your skincare regime, understand your body to maximise fitness potential, how and what to eat for your body to lose weight.
With these claims it’s easy to get carried away in the promises and the believed outcome. But, how safe are these kits? Which one should you go for? Are they medically tested?
What are the benefits?
There has to be some benefits to finding out a bit more on your genetic makeup and what makes us different. The rise in popularity of these tests is no coincidence - the right test can give you some great outcomes. Keeping it simple, we’ve outlined three plus points of DNA testing:
We are what we eat
Ever wondered what type of food your body really needs? There are tests out there that give you a clear idea of what type of food your body needs, what you are intolerant to and how much of it you should have. Whilst this is not designed to be the quick and easy win we all want in weight loss, understanding our diet can help us make simple lifestyle changes to feel better.
Action plan
The right test can highlight conditions that you may be more prone to, and give you tips and lifestyle changes that can actually lower your risk. Understanding the small changes you can make to diet and lifestyle to lower your risk of conditions like diabetes can be a massive win.
Witness the fitness
Everyone’s different and how our bodies react to exercise can vary. Tests can show what type of exercise best suits our bodies, whether we are better suited for cardio, weight training or a mixture of both. A great way to tailor our workout routines so we don’t waste precious time and effort doing the wrong thing!
Time for the risks ....
Now for the doom and gloom - it has to be done. DNA tests are a developing market and have faced criticism from the medical community due to the lack of research into findings and the tests themselves. We’ve outlined just some of the risks below:
No turning back
Would you want to know your impending doom, even if you couldn’t do anything about it? Okay, that may be a bit dramatic, but some tests can tell you that you are at a higher risk of certain diseases, that you can do nothing to stop or combat, such as Alzheimer’s. Getting this information can lead to excessive worrying and concern on something you can do nothing about.
Family’s family, or is it?
Whilst these tests may seem harmless and a good way to understand more about your heritage, they can uncover family secrets you may not be aware of. The tests give no warning or future support on some of the potential outcomes, and it’s worth asking yourself, "are you better off not knowing"?
Regulate
The DNA testing market is booming and growing quickly, which makes it hard to regulate. The industry has faced strong criticism from the medical world such as a lack of support for customers, insufficient research and unreliable results to name a few.