People are paying up to $1,000 a pop for genetic tests that use saliva to predict disease risk... but a new report says they're just not worth the spit.
In what can only be described as a scientific sting operation, federal investigators working for the Government Accountability Office sent samples to four labs that offer these tests direct to consumers, and found that the advice and risks differed from company to company 68 percent of the time.
And that means your supposed risk for diabetes or breast cancer could dramatically differ based only on which company you ordered your test from.
Forget low standards for accuracy--these completely unregulated companies appear to have no standards at all.
What's more, some people even got contradictory information in the same response. In one case, a consumer received a "clinical report" saying she had a below-average risk for celiac disease... but was also given a "research report" saying she had an above average risk for the condition.
The investigators also sent a second set of samples to each company from each consumer, but with a fictional profile and background. And in some cases, the companies unknowingly made completely different predictions for the same DNA.
One consumer was told he had an average risk for type 2 diabetes, while his fictional alter-ego was told he had a below-average risk.
I sure hope they use better DNA tests for criminal trials!
The feds say that in many cases, the companies also tried to sell supplements based on the supposed disease risk-- and in at least one case lied about celebrity endorsements behind them.
That's the kind of behavior that gives a bad name to the rest of the industry--which is sad, because it can distract people from the truth: Good nutrition and good vitamins can help you overcome disease and illness, and you don't need an expensive DNA test report to take advantage of that.
I tell you about some of these simple and safe alternatives every week--as well as some of the problems companies have with the feds when they make legitimate, well-researched claims about healthy, natural supplements.
Yet somehow, the genetic testing companies are still out there--collecting cash and saliva for phony health predictions.
And that's a spitty situation all around.
On a mission for your health,
Ed Martin
Editor, House Calls
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