OT:DNA 23andme

[FlyerInHi]

[quote=moneymaker] ordered kits for everyone in the family, got a 20% discount on the additional kits. [/quote]

Any enlightening info?

[CA renter]

[quote=FlyerInHi][quote=moneymaker] ordered kits for everyone in the family, got a 20% discount on the additional kits. [/quote]

Any enlightening info?[/quote]

I’d like to know, too.

[UCGal]

[quote=UCGal]We did it. For me – my family risk of cancer made me want to know. My husbands family leans torwards heart disease and stroke… As well as some family history of dementia. If we had the increased risks we wanted to know to address bucket list things sooner than later. For the most part we got good news… No increased risks.

For the biggies, you have to go through several locks to make sure you really wanted to know. Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, colon cancer, breast cancer.

As far as the family and genetic stuff… My husband has connected with several 3rd cousins in the old country…. (He chose to respond to the anonomyzed inquiries… And was able to trace back the common ancestor.). That’s been cool and we’ll probably meet them when we next go across the pond. Less luck on my side.

It was worth the $99 to us.[/quote]

Since this thread started we discovered something else from the 23andMe data that was impactful for our family. We found that we all (husband, me, kids) have variations of the MTHFR mutation. One son has a homozygous mutation of the C677T marker – which means his body produces a less effective version of the enzyme that breaks down folate. The rest of us have the heterozygous mutation – so we partially break down folate, but less effectively than folks with natural form of the gene. Folate needs to be broken down to cross the blood/brain barrier and is used to regulate neurotransmitters (seratonin, dopamine, melatonin, etc.). We now take OTC vitamins in the methylized form of the b vitamins.

Huge big deal to find an obscure but impactful problem.

[CA renter]

[quote=UCGal][quote=UCGal]We did it. For me – my family risk of cancer made me want to know. My husbands family leans torwards heart disease and stroke… As well as some family history of dementia. If we had the increased risks we wanted to know to address bucket list things sooner than later. For the most part we got good news… No increased risks.

For the biggies, you have to go through several locks to make sure you really wanted to know. Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, colon cancer, breast cancer.

As far as the family and genetic stuff… My husband has connected with several 3rd cousins in the old country…. (He chose to respond to the anonomyzed inquiries… And was able to trace back the common ancestor.). That’s been cool and we’ll probably meet them when we next go across the pond. Less luck on my side.

It was worth the $99 to us.[/quote]

Since this thread started we discovered something else from the 23andMe data that was impactful for our family. We found that we all (husband, me, kids) have variations of the MTHFR mutation. One son has a homozygous mutation of the C677T marker – which means his body produces a less effective version of the enzyme that breaks down folate. The rest of us have the heterozygous mutation – so we partially break down folate, but less effectively than folks with natural form of the gene. Folate needs to be broken down to cross the blood/brain barrier and is used to regulate neurotransmitters (seratonin, dopamine, melatonin, etc.). We now take OTC vitamins in the methylized form of the b vitamins.

Huge big deal to find an obscure but impactful problem.[/quote]

I love the information you bring to this blog, UCGal. Thank you!

I’m going to get tested for this since we have a lot of these symptoms in our family…that might be one of the reasons we have such a high cancer rate, too. Many thanks to you, UCGal.

One of my best friends tested positive for this mutation (not sure about the specific one) after she had a stroke in her late 30s. Apparently, some/one of these mutations can increase the risk for stroke, too.

[cvmom]

Unfortunately, I think the FDA shut down the 23&me health info service. 🙁

[UCGal]

[quote=cvmom]Unfortunately, I think the FDA shut down the 23&me health info service. :([/quote]
Only sort of….

23andMe gives you the full genome in raw searchable form. HOWEVER they no longer tell you your odds on some common genetic risks. You have to look at the individual markers yourself.

You can still look at the raw data. I used that to look at my sons’ results.

You need to know the SNP marker, typically starts with an ‘rs’ then a bunch of numbers. You log into 23andMe (after they’ve completed your genome) then search for that rs#####

Or you can link to it directly (assuming you have logged in.)

For example – the MTHFR markers that I was looking at:
MTHFR A1298C: rs1801131
https://www.23andme.com/you/explorer/snp/?snp_name=rs1801131

MTHFR C677T: rs1801133
https://www.23andme.com/you/explorer/snp/?snp_name=rs1801133

You can look at the scientific info for these markers on snpedia – for example
http://snpedia.com/index.php/Rs1801131
and
http://snpedia.com/index.php/Rs1801133

So – yes, it’s true you 23andMe can no longer tell you explicity “you’re at increased risk for breast cancer because you have the BRCAA genetic mutation” – you can still use the 23andMe data to look at that specific marker. A little more work, but the data is still there.

The FDA thing is stupid. All they did is tell you the risks and benefits of certain mutations, based on scientific studies. They linked to the studies, they showed where the studies disagreed… it was very useful. But it didn’t cover everything – the MTHFR mutation was not included in their list of health information they gave. I had to look up mine from the raw data.

[Author]

Posts