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When doctors asked Jess Austin if any health problems ran in her family, the 28-year-old Londoner was at a loss for what to say.
He knew about his mother’s side, but not his father’s, since she was separated from him.
“Since that time, I’ve been determined to learn as much as I can about my health, and so when home test kits became more common, I knew I wanted to be involved.” Jess tells Metro.co.uk.
“While they wouldn’t be able to tell me about my father’s family history, I was hoping they would tell me if he was at increased risk for anything because of his genes.”
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Jess Austin (pictured) had no idea about her health, so she tried blood and saliva tests at home. He obtained information on fitness, fertility, disease, and nutrition.
So he put some of these kits to the test… with interesting results.
The two general health tests Jess took were Baseline Plus from ForthWithLife and the Ultimate Performance Blood Test from Medichecks.
They take a blood sample and look for various biomarkers (ie cholesterol, vitamin B12, total protein).
Jess also took NGX’s DNA swab test (£99), designed to show which nutrients are best absorbed by your body to help improve your diet.
Jess was shocked by the results, finding that she has 24 percent more Neanderthal DNA than other users.
However, it was Hertility’s fertility test, and 23andMe’s DNA and Ancestry saliva sample, that gave Jess the information she craved.
“The test that probably excited me the most was the 23ndMe, which can find out if you have a higher genetic risk for certain diseases, for example, it looks for the BRCA gene (which can lead to a higher chance of breast cancer) or the gene for Parkinson’s disease’, explains the journalist.
“From it, I discovered that I am at increased risk of losing my sight as I get older (I have 2 variants of that gene), a variant for absorbing too much iron from the diet, and could pass a genetic disorder to future children if my partner is also a carrier of MCAD deficiency.’
However, it was not all depressing news. Jess discovered that she has 24 percent more Neanderthal DNA than other users and got some fun insights into her predicted traits.
The two general health tests Jess took were ForthWithLife’s Baseline Plus (Jess’s results pictured) and the Medichecks Peak Performance Blood Test
Another of his general checks was the Medichecks max performance test (£199), which came with a collapse of his health.
This was part of a 31-page report from NGX: The company offers protein shakes tailored to your genetic makeup.
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The 23andMe test looks at how likely you are to develop certain conditions. These are the results of Jess
“For example, muscle composition is likely to be seen in elite athletes (not sure about that), I prefer chocolate ice cream to vanilla (true), and I have wet rather than dry earwax (what does that mean!) ?! ).’
The other test that Jess thought was worth the money was one that tested her fertility.
“The test (£149) looks at three hormones – AMH, TSH, FT4 – and is designed to check for hormonal imbalance, egg count and reproductive health conditions.
‘Fortunately, my results came back within an acceptable range, and I found the doctor’s report at the top helpful.
“That letter covered everything we discussed at our meeting and I feel more confident in my gynecological health than ever before, which I know from talking to other women is a rare feeling.
You can get more information about each test in the full article at Metro.co.uk