Whether it’s through meditation, taking personality quizzes online, or going on an offline vacation, it’s human nature to want to do some soul searching. We often look for outlets to learn more about ourselves and take comfort in these answers. With the increase in access to genetic testing, many have started to investigate a more scientific approach to knowing oneself, especially as it relates to their longevity and health. This newsletter will tackle the complicated world of Longevity Testing, and shed some light on the benefits, risks, and alternatives of these tests.
What is Longevity Testing?
In brief, Longevity Testing is the process of undergoing a DNA test to learn more about your genetic make-up and how it impacts your long-term health. This can include information on your risk for certain types of cancer, autoimmune disorders, or other hereditary diseases. Generally, these tests are done using a sample of saliva or blood, but the actual results you may receive depend on the type of testing completed and the company through which it was done.
There are three forms of genetic testing that different Longevity Tests might use to analyze your saliva or blood sample, with examples of companies that conduct these tests:
- DNA Genotyping – AncestryDNA, 23andMe, SelfDecode
- DNA Sequencing – Dante Labs, Nebula Genomics, Full Genomes
- DNA Methylation – Chronomics, TruDiagnostic, MyDNAge
What Can I Gain from DNA Testing?
Let’s dive into what each type of testing involves and what it provides.
Genotype testing is a less comprehensive test that looks at a very small and specific area of genetic code in your DNA and extrapolates information from there. This form of testing can give you insight regarding your ethnic background and differences between your chromosomes. This may be useful in some cases, such as in the case of elevated genetic risk for diabetes in those with Native American ancestry. But overall, it provides the least relevant information for longevity-related purposes.
Sequencing tests are much more robust, looking at each and every part of the genetic code. These tests identify genetic variations that can increase your risk of developing cancers or diseases. For instance, these tests can identify if you have the BRCA1/BRCA2 gene that increases your risk for ovarian or breast cancer.
Finally, Methylation tests look at the chemical modifications in your DNA as a result of genetic, lifestyle, or medical factors to determine what genes are active versus inactivated, and how that might impact your health risk in the long term. Some of these tests also tout being able to determine how well your body utilizes nutrients, like proteins, vitamins, and minerals.
It is important to know that while these tests can show you if you are genetically predisposed to possibly getting a disease or passing one on to future children, they are not guarantees. While our genes influence how our bodies grow, develop, and age over time, epigenetics, or the way in which lifestyle factors affect our genetics, can often have a more tangible and pronounced impact. But we’ll get into that later!
What Are the Costs?
Overall, Longevity Tests are not unsafe when it comes to physical wellbeing. The testing procedures are minimally invasive, most often done in the comfort of your own home and mailed to the company for analysis. As of now, 23andMe remains the only service to have FDA approval for genetic testing services that provide longevity-related analyses.
The two main concerns with these tests are their monetary cost and privacy policies. Firstly, these tests, as well as the process of obtaining & continuing to have access to results can be pricey. While some of these companies are quite upfront about what is and isn’t included in the fees, it is important for you to thoroughly read through and research the company and its reviews to ensure you are choosing the right service for the most personal benefit.
Though it varies between brands, testing forms, and add-ons associated with each service, the initial test itself is generally around $20-$350 for Methylation tests, $100-$400 for Genotyping tests, and $300-$1,500 for Sequencing tests. These prices may change significantly, however, as many services require an annual or monthly subscription to access the results of the analysis or other brand-specific services & insights.
Secondly, there has been increasing concern over the security of personal genetic information with these private companies. A few companies have come under fire for unclear practices regarding the sharing of personal genetic information. There has been a strong push for clarity and transparency of information sharing practices between these testing companies & government and/or third-party agencies. However, as commercially available voluntary genetic testing services are so new, legislation and regulations on the use and handling of this data is still lagging.
Is It Worth It?
While incredibly detailed and interesting to review, the results of these tests do not necessarily provide any practical benefits that you would be unable to obtain through other means.
If your main reasoning for testing is obtaining more thorough personal health insight, especially regarding nutrient utilization or BRCA1/BRCA2 risk, it might be cheaper and more useful to simply speak to your medical provider about getting blood testing done. You could ask for a basic metabolic panel, and vitamin & mineral deficiency testing if you are concerned about your dietary intake. Your standard metabolic panel will look at blood levels of fat, sugar/carbohydrates, and protein – these values can show you where nutrient utilization is lacking to an extent. And if you are comfortable sharing your results, your dietitian can sort through them with you in your next session and discuss where low or high values may be impacted by diet/exercise versus medication/genetics/etc.
On the other hand, if your reasoning is to reduce your health risk in the future, you can save yourself the trouble and financial loss by just committing to making lifestyle changes. This brings us back to the topic of epigenetics. Even though our “factory settings” at the cellular level can make us more likely to have certain traits, our environment and actions can change these settings for better or worse. For instance, a person may have the genes to make them more susceptible to diabetes, but no genetic risk for cancer. But, their lifestyle habits of exercise and mindful carb consumption prevented them from developing diabetes, while living in a highly polluted area and vaping habit led to cancer. In this way, epigenetics is the flipping of switches. You don’t necessarily need to know what switches are already “on” or “off” to engage in health-promoting, longevity-improving behaviors and seeing results.
Finally, as DNA methylation and sequencing tests are so new, research has yet to determine the actual real-life implications of what the data of each test finds. For instance, the part of the DNA known as the telomere has been thought to be associated with lifespan and aging, but we currently have a very poor understanding of why different people have different telomere lengths, or what differences between these lengths even within an individual means. Thus, any health decisions made based on these results may not be scientifically proven to provide any benefit and must be taken with a grain of salt.
In summary, Longevity Tests are an interesting and innovative way to look at our health and see where we might be able to improve our lifestyle habits to reduce our risks for chronic disease and early death. However, the information that the test results provide are not guarantees of health outcomes. In fact, regardless of whether you decide on spending on Longevity Testing, the solution for any issues found in the results are the same as if you didn’t know the particulars – lifestyle changes, including diet and exercise. Ultimately, the decision is yours! Just make sure to do your research before opting to undergo testing to make sure your results are reliable and relevant to you.
Author: Hafsah Khan, Dietetic Intern
References
CD Genomics. (2023, April 25). Difference between genotyping and DNA sequencing | CD Genomics Blog. CD Genomics. https://www.cd-genomics.com/blog/difference-between-genotyping-and-dna-sequencing/
Helix. (2017, August 4). DNA technologies 101: Genotyping vs. sequencing, and what they mean for you | helix. Www.helix.com. https://www.helix.com/blog/dna-technologies-genotyping-vs-sequencing
J.P. (2020, October 19). 3 essential benefits of genetic testing for longevity – longevity advice. Longevity Advice. https://www.longevityadvice.com/genetic-testing/
J.P. (2023, October 10). 7 best DNA tests for health and longevity in 2024 – longevity advice. Longevity Advice. https://www.longevityadvice.com/best-dna-tests/