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Results for “direct-to-consumer genetic testing”

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PubMed2026

A Scoping Review of Direct-to-Consumer Nutrigenetic Testing: Mapping Genes and Associated Nutrition Recommendations.

Consumer demand for autonomy in their own health care is fueling the rise of personal genetic testing. Nutrigenetics tests promise tailored dietary recommendations to help consumers achieve their health and well-being goals. To support informed decision-making by both practitioners and consumers, there is a need for a comprehensive evaluation of the current market landscape and the specific nutrition claims being made. A scoping review was completed via an internet search. Companies that provided direct-to-consumer tests with nutritional recommendations were included. Nonhuman, or pediatric tests, and tests requiring a health practitioner to order were excluded. Genes and nutrition recommendations used in the testing panels were mapped, and company characteristics were summarized. The review was prospectively registered with Open Science Framework (DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/A4K2R). There were 104 companies providing 204 nutrition-related testing panels that were included. The mean cost was US$234, with North America the most common continent of company registration. Only 56 (54%) companies publicly disclosed the genes used to make nutritional recommendations, with 3309 unique genes identified across testing panels. Micronutrients (n = 1593 genes), cardiovascular health (n = 1446 genes), and weight loss (n = 1383 genes) were the most commonly reported nutrition categories. Posttest support was provided by 55 (53%) companies, but this was often at additional cost (n = 33), and the qualifications of those providing support varied greatly. The expanding nutrigenetics market continues to be unregulated, with high variability in offerings. With thousands of unique genes linked with nutrition recommendations, it is challenging for healthcare practitioners and consumers to keep pace with this dynamic market. Evidence analysis and resources are required to support healthcare practitioners to provide consumers with evidence-based guidance and ensure their best interests are protected.

Humans↗
PubMed2016

Implications of Personal Genomic Testing for Health Behaviors: The Case of Smoking.

INTRODUCTION: Direct-to-consumer personal genomic testing has the potential to influence health behaviors, including smoking. Critics of this testing highlight limited evidence to support positive behavioral benefits and caution that genomic results may provide false reassurance, leading to unhealthy behaviors. This study investigates interest in genetic risks of smoking-related diseases and changes in smoking behaviors among genomic testing consumers. METHODS: From 2012 to 2013, a longitudinal series of web surveys was conducted. A total of 1464 customers of 23andMe and Pathway Genomics completed a survey prior to viewing genomic test results, of which 1002 participants provided data on smoking behaviors 6 months after receiving results. RESULTS: At baseline, 64% of participants were never smokers, 29% were former smokers, and 7% were current smokers. Most baseline current smokers were very interested in genetic risk results for lung cancer (65%) and heart disease (72%). For lung cancer, this interest was significantly greater than former (50% very interested) and never smokers (37% very interested) (p < .0001). Even though participants were interested in smoking-related disease genetic risks, 96% reported the same smoking status at baseline and 6-month follow-up. Importantly, only 1% (n = 13/916) of former and never smokers became current smokers at 6 months and 22% (n = 14/64) of current smokers reported quitting. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, smokers show a high level of interest in genetic risks of smoking-related illnesses. The experience of receiving direct-to-consumer genomic health risks does not appear to have obvious harms related to smoking behaviors, with some potential benefits. IMPLICATIONS: In the setting of ongoing controversy surrounding direct-to-consumer genomic testing, this study provides evidence that consumers are interested in genetic risk results of smoking-related diseases. Receiving genomic testing results does not lead to smoking initiation among never smokers or reinitiation among former smokers and may be associated with a higher quit rate among current smokers at 6-month follow-up than the general population. These findings ease concerns that direct-to-consumer genomic testing could lead to false reassurance and unhealthy behaviors related to smoking.

Adolescent↗