November 2006
When DNA means ‘do not attempt’
New understanding of how genes contribute to certain diseases has spawned Web sites hawking at-home “nutrigenetic” DNA test
kits. Using a DNA sample you take, usually by swabbing the inside of your cheek, the kits claim to analyze a limited number
of genes, then provide diet and lifestyle tips tailored to your genetically determined risks. But a recent government report
on kits from four such Web sites found that they’re misleading at best, and cleverly disguised scams at worst.
For the report, by the Government Accountability Office and published in late July (available at www.gao.gov), the GAO bought 14 genetic tests for $89 to $395 each from four online vendors. It then used samples of DNA from a 48-year-old man and a 9-month-old girl to create 14 fictitious consumers with a range of ages, weights, heights, and lifestyles, and sent the samples for analysis.
What they found. The dietary and lifestyle recommendations supposedly based on those DNA samples proved little more than run-of-the-mill advice to eat right, exercise, and stop smoking. Advice based on DNA from the same “person” varied with the lifestyle profile investigators provided. (Smokers were advised to quit; healthy eaters, to keep up the good work.) Kits from one site predicted an increased risk of the same four diseases for three of the fictitious people whose DNA came from the two subjects.
Most disturbing, two sites recommended “personalized” dietary supplements costing at least $1,200 per year for all of the phony consumers. Some of those supplements were supposed to repair damaged DNA, which has not been proved possible for a pill. On closer look, the supplements suggested by one site turned out to be garden-variety multivitamins and antioxidants sold in stores for about $35 per year.
There’s little government oversight for genetic testing. At press time, only a dozen of the almost 1,000 genetic tests available, whether meant for use at home or under a doctor’s care, had been reviewed and approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
What you can do. Be wary of genetic tests marketed directly to consumers.
For the report, by the Government Accountability Office and published in late July (available at www.gao.gov), the GAO bought 14 genetic tests for $89 to $395 each from four online vendors. It then used samples of DNA from a 48-year-old man and a 9-month-old girl to create 14 fictitious consumers with a range of ages, weights, heights, and lifestyles, and sent the samples for analysis.
What they found. The dietary and lifestyle recommendations supposedly based on those DNA samples proved little more than run-of-the-mill advice to eat right, exercise, and stop smoking. Advice based on DNA from the same “person” varied with the lifestyle profile investigators provided. (Smokers were advised to quit; healthy eaters, to keep up the good work.) Kits from one site predicted an increased risk of the same four diseases for three of the fictitious people whose DNA came from the two subjects.
Most disturbing, two sites recommended “personalized” dietary supplements costing at least $1,200 per year for all of the phony consumers. Some of those supplements were supposed to repair damaged DNA, which has not been proved possible for a pill. On closer look, the supplements suggested by one site turned out to be garden-variety multivitamins and antioxidants sold in stores for about $35 per year.
There’s little government oversight for genetic testing. At press time, only a dozen of the almost 1,000 genetic tests available, whether meant for use at home or under a doctor’s care, had been reviewed and approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
What you can do. Be wary of genetic tests marketed directly to consumers.
- If you have a family history of a disease and are considering genetic screening, ask your physician for a referral to a genetic
counselor, who can list the pluses and minuses of knowing your risk and, if you proceed with testing, can help interpret the
results. You can find a counselor on your own through the National Society of Genetic Counselors (www.nsgc.org).
- For a reputable, up-to-date roundup of research on hereditary diseases, go to the site at www.genetests.org, developed by the University of Washington in Seattle and funded by the National Institutes of Health.
- Consider donating DNA to a group that is banking samples to study a disease. For example, the Alzheimer’s Association and the National Institute on Aging have a gene bank for late-onset disease. Always check a group’s privacy policy before donating.
