A couple of months back, I got in touch with the lovely team at 23andMe to enquire about reviewing their Health and Ancestry DNA testing service. It was something I'd heard a lot about, through watching some of my favourite YouTubers and of course, through word of mouth. I was intrigued, and whilst I was pretty sure that my heritage wouldn't be as exciting as many have unearthed, I wanted to give it a go.
The Ancestry service
Whether you think you're European, South Asian, or something else altogether, 23andMe offers the exciting opportunity to discover exactly where you come from! Sure, spitting into a tube in an attempt to reach a marked line on the side isn't the most graceful thing you can do with your time, but after those 5-10 minutes, you'll be packaging up your DNA and sending it off, hoping your results come back in quick time.
Personally, I discovered that I am indeed 100% European as expected, but did find out exactly where those European roots came from! Whilst 80.3% of them were British and Irish, 11% of my DNA suggested French and German ancestors.
There was also 8.7% detected for the 'Broadly Northwestern European' countries, which is made up of people from as far west as Ireland, as far north as Norway, as far east as Finland, and as far south as France. I've never felt so well travelled!
The service doesn't stop there, however! The scientific results also show you just how many generations ago your most recent ancestor from each population lived. If your parents also get kits done, you can even find out just how much of each ancestry you got from each parent. It's a fascinating insight.
The Health service
Some people may not want to get their 23 pairs of chromosomes tested for variants that would suggest an increased risk of certain diseases or conditions, but for many it's an incredibly interesting prospect, and one that could see you make life-changing choices.
A range of different variants are investigated so that the lab can come to conclusions on whether or not you have a higher risk of conditions such as Celiac Disease, Parkinson's Disease, and Late-Onset Alzheimer's Disease.
23andMe is clear in the fact that their tests do NOT diagnose any of the health conditions they discuss, but that they simply test for SOME of the variants that are associated with the conditions. It's important when reading up on your report that if you do see an increased risk for any of those listed that you don't think your life is over and you will definitely develop the condition in the future. They also encourage discussions with your health professional if any of the results do worry you.
The Ancestry service is priced at £79, with the Health + Ancestry service costing £149. Currently, Christmas offers see the two options being offered up at £54 and £104 respectively, with free wrapping, so there's never been a better time to get involved! Find out more by clicking here.
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