Hopefully this DNA analysis data will be better at telling my future than tea leaves or goat entrails.Well, I have finally decided to do it. I have ponied up the money and signed up for 23andMe's DNA test.
This is a test that will look at over 500,000 different spots on my DNA. From the results I'll be able to learn about my future health and my past ancestry. Well, as much as I can learn given the current state of genetic knowledge.
And there's the rub. I have held off on doing this for quite awhile because I am just not sure how useful it will be.
Most of the DNA studies on the big diseases like schizophrenia, autism, diabetes, heart disease, etc. have not been that conclusive. They tend to find bits of DNA that have a very small effect on risk.
Undoubtedly as more studies are done, we'll find lots of bits of DNA like this and we'll be able to figure out our risk more accurately by adding them all up. But we're not there yet. In fact we're probably years away from being able to do this.