IF someone could warn you what health problems you would face in the future, would you really want to know?
Finding out what shape you will be in when you reach your 70s while you are still only in your 20s sounds like sci-fi.
But today’s technology is now so advanced that it is possible to take a test to tell you just that — without even leaving the house.
Genetic predisposition tests work by using DNA screening to analyse the individual genetic make-up of your body.
By profiling your DNA they can then search for indicators — or genetic markers — that indicate you may be more susceptible to specific diseases in your lifetime.
Decoding the messages hidden in our genes is thought to be vital to the future of healthcare in the UK.
Through the post ... home testing kit
It is still early days but the field of genomics is advancing fast, and extensive research means more than 2,500 ailments have already been linked to variants in individual genes.
The tests can determine the risk of you developing Alzheimer’s, heart disease, cancer, multiple sclerosis and diabetes.
In theory, having this knowledge then enables you to make lifestyle changes which could help manage or lower the risk.
Curious about the idea of looking into a crystal ball to the future of my health, I decide to give the tests a try.
On the surface I’m in decent nick health-wise so I wasn’t too worried about what I might learn.
At 33 I already know I have high cholesterol so I don’t smoke or drink to excess. I go to the gym regularly and while I’ll never say no to fish and chips on Friday night, generally I do my best to stick to a low-fat diet.
To compare results, I decide to take two separate tests with two different UK companies.
The tests from Easy DNA (easydna.co.uk) and International Biosciences (ibdna.com) each cost £299 and use the same method of screening a drop of my blood.
This will be scanned to search for any DNA markers that have been linked to the development of specific diseases.
The information will be used to tell me my genetic risk level for 25 specific health concerns.
Drop of blood ... use the lancet to prick your finger
The results will tell me my estimated lifetime risk level of any specific diseases and how this compares to the average risk.
The test itself could not be simpler. A kit is posted to my house containing a small instrument called a lancet which I use to prick my finger.
Once this is done I press down to make three blood spots on a piece of card which will be used to get my DNA profile.
The pinprick is tiny and it’s completely painless. The whole thing takes ten minutes and after posting the sample off to the lab for analysis, I forget about it.
But when, after a wait of a few weeks, the results of both tests drop into my email inbox, I start to feel nervous.
If I discover I am at high risk of developing a condition such as Alzheimer’s, will I be glad to find out or will I wish I had never been told?
It’s too late to turn back now so I click on the email. Both sets of results are identical and the good news is I am at low risk of 13 conditions including type one diabetes and Alzheimer’s.
The bad news is I am at medium risk of 12 conditions including breast cancer, lung cancer and age-related macular degeneration.
The really bad news is I have a high risk of coronary heart disease. My genetic risk level is 45 per cent compared to a normal level of 25 per cent.
While no one ever wants to hear that they have a high risk of a heart attack, I’m not too shocked by this news.
In fact I’m mostly stunned by how accurate it is. There is a long history of coronary heart disease in my family which is why I am already on medication for my inherited high cholesterol.
If I had been asked to predict the most likely future health risk for myself before this test, I would have answered coronary heart disease.
Red ring ... press your finger on the card to make a spot
But I did not give the labs any of this information or tell them about my family medical history. Their results all came directly from screening my genes.
Other results are more unexpected. Previously I’d never heard of macular degeneration so discovering I have a medium genetic risk of developing blindness in old age is a shock.
And I’m not thrilled to read I have a medium risk of obesity either.
Both companies send me a full report with information about the conditions tested for and what my personal risk levels mean.
I’m advised to see my GP as a follow-up, but don’t feel frightened by having this knowledge.
Just because I have a genetically high risk, it is not certain I will suffer with the condition.
It’s all useful information to be armed with for the future. But the test only looks at my genetic risk — it doesn’t consider other aspects such as lifestyle choices.
As the science advances and results get more accurate, genetic predisposition tests could impact other areas of our lives.
Some have questioned whether, in the future, employers or insurance companies should have a right to know the results.
This could lead to concern over possible discrimination.
Currently there is a suspension (moratorium) in place until 2017 preventing insurance companies insisting any DNA results are disclosed.
The only exceptions to this agreement are for life insurance policies in excess of £500,000 and then only for government-approved genetic tests.
At the moment this applies only to tests for Huntington’s disease.
Threesy peasy ... now send them off and wait for the results
I’m glad I took the test but the bottom line is no one can really predict what the future holds.
I could get run over by a bus tomorrow or perhaps I’ll live to be 100 — who knows?
But these tests are not claiming to accurately predict the future — just to provide people with additional information that might help them make informed choices about their health.
I won’t be letting my high risk results hold me back.
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