Forget DIY gene test, buy trainers instead

HOME DNA testing kits are of ‘limited health care value’ and the money would be better spent on a new pair of trainers or a gym membership, a leading expert has warned.

DIY kits that offer to analyse human genes for health risks or obesity are ‘inaccurate’ because they do not study enough information.

A better investment of the fees that private companies are charging to carry out the checks, would be on ‘proven’ methods of health improvement such as exercise.

The claim comes from a genetics expert who says home DNA tests from private firms have ‘proliferated’ as more is uncovered about human genes.

Some tests, such as those offered by the NHS, can screen for serious inherited diseases including certain forms of breast cancer.

But private companies are also offering kits that can search for a multitude of genetic health risks or ‘wellness’ factors, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, weight and reactions to food or alcohol.

The tests take a sample of saliva and cost up to £149.

Writing in the online news website The Conversation, Dr Jonathan Pettitt, Reader in Genetics at the University of Aberdeen, told how predicting an individual’s risk of most common diseases or traits from a genetic test will simply be inaccurate as there are too many genetic variants making small contributions.

He said: ‘Genetic variation is an unavoidable feature of life. You have a distinctive combination of genetic variants, almost all of which are shared with your parents, although shuffled into new combinations.

‘As a consequence, increasing numbers of people want to learn more about their genetic inheritance, which can be driven by a desire to find out whether they are carriers of, or possibly sufferers from, serious genetic disease.

‘Ultimately, what most people will learn from such genetic tests will be of limited health care value. You are much better off putting the money you would spend on a genetic test towards a gym membership or a pair of trainers – something that will have a proven effect on health and wellbeing.’

The kits were ‘no substitute’ for proper health care, he added.

Genetic testing firm 23andMe said: ‘23andMe helps UK customers learn more about their health so that they may take action where appropriate.’