What is Direct-to-consumer genetic testing?
In direct-to-consumer genetic testing, the tests are marketed by a company directly to the customer and can be bought from an online store or shop. Then the customer takes their DNA sample from the buccal cavity using a cotton swab and sends the sample to the company. The company then conducts the DNA testing and the results are sent back to the customer. This way DNA tests can be done without the need of a healthcare provider.
There are many kinds of direct-to-consumer tests that are available like:
The disease or health-related tests– The result of this test shows the chances of the appearance of some common disease that might be present in your genes.
Kindred– this test is mostly done to indicate the kinship of two different individuals genetically. Like test done to determine paternity or to test to determine whether two individuals are siblings or not.
Ancestry– These tests are generally done to determine the ethnicity of an individual or to gain knowledge about one’s ancestors.
Lifestyle– These tests are usually done to determine one’s lifestyle, health, and diet-related information.
Pros of Direct-to-consume genetic testing