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Thursday, February 9th
23andMe should be your first choice if you want detailed information about your health and ancestry in one simple package. Founded in 2006, this was the first company to offer autosomal DNA testing: exactly what all of today's major services now use.
Ancestry + Traits for $99
You've got two DNA testing options with 23andMe. Their more basic kit is the Ancestry + Traits service. For $99, you'll get 80+ reports on various ways your DNA impacts your features, from your senses of taste and smell to your facial structure. On the ancestry side, you'll see your genetic makeup among more than 2,000 regions in the world; some results get as specific as the county in which your ancestors lived. You'll also get an ancestry timeline showing more than eight generations back. If you opt in to sharing your profile with DNA Relatives, you can connect with all of your matches. 23andMe will even build your family tree based on your DNA test.
Health + Ancestry for $199
23andMe's more extensive DNA testing kit - and their most popular - is the Health + Ancestry Service for $199. Not only will you get all the features of the Ancestry + Traits kit, but you'll get a deep dive into your genetic profile and how it might impact your overall wellness. There are more than 150 reports included in this package, from BRCA1/BRCA2 and celiac disease to carrier status and pharmacogenetics. You'll have a hard time finding another DNA test provider that gives you this level of depth in your health profile and such robust ancestry features too.
Affordable yearly membership for ongoing updates
This company regularly updates its clients with new information as it comes in, without making them retest or do anything extra. For example, in a nine-month span, 23andMe added Citalopram and Clopidogrel medication insights, HDL cholesterol, and melanoma to their reports. But, to maintain access to these releases, you'll need to pay for a membership. The first year is included with your Health + Ancestry Service purchase, and subsequent years are just $29.
Costs
Look for discounts and free shipping offers
At the time of this review, there was a pop-up offering free shipping on DNA testing kits if we signed up for 23andMe's news and special offers email list. We also spotted a promotion at the top of the site: buy one kit, get 10% off on each additional kit. That's not the most impressive discount we've seen, but it's better than nothing.
Excellent reputation overall
How about reputation? Generally speaking, this is a DNA test kit service whose results you can trust. Always keeping in mind that DNA testing is a work in progress, most people find that these tests are accurate - both for health and for ancestry. More than 2,000 customers have given 23andMe a perfect five-star rating, and the Better Business Bureau rates this company with an "A" grade. We found more than a few complaints, but almost every single one of them brought up problems with shipping (missing or delayed packages both to the customer and to the processing facility with the sample) or excessively long timeframes for running the sample and providing results. Very few people have anything negative to say about the results once they receive them.
Best choice for health + heritage DNA tests
Most DNA testing kits make you choose between learning about your ancestry or your genetic health profile, but 23andMe gives you a wealth of information about both with one simple, affordable test. You'll only have to watch one or two of the customer stories on the site to see just how valuable the results of these tests can be, from revealing health conditions of adoptees who don't know anything about their birth families' medical history to taking proactive steps to prevent disease. And, of course, there are all of the fun and amazing stories to discover when connecting with your relatives through your ancestry profile. Once again, 23andMe earns our highest recommendation among providers of DNA tests.
Direct-to-consumer DNA testing has exploded over the last decade. From popular TV shows that document the ancestry of celebrities to clickbait articles describing the latest "she almost married her long-lost brother!" scandal prevented by a DNA test, it seems like everyone is pretty familiar with the appeal and power of these kits.
There are three main reasons why people buy a DNA test these days. The most common is to explore their heritage. Am I really related to royalty? Did my great-great-grandparents actually come from a small town in Italy? DNA tests can often reveal the answers to such questions. These tests also help people connect with living relatives, from distant cousins overseas to half-siblings and even previously-unknown parents.
Most DNA testing services allow you to keep that information private, though, if you just want to see your ethnicity breakdown without disclosing yourself to any relatives who might be in their database.
The second reason many individuals choose to buy a DNA testing kit is to get information on health and wellness. Depending on the provider you choose, your results may include basic traits like cleft chin or sensitivity to caffeine, or they may go so far as to tell you if you're a carrier for certain hereditary diseases. These tests can help you be proactive with your health, give your physician more details to guide your treatment, and maybe even prolong your life.
If you've ever watched The Jerry Springer Show, you already know the third reason people buy DNA tests: to prove paternity. That's easier to do when the alleged father is a willing participant in the test, but some companies also offer sibling, half-sibling, grandparent and avuncular (such as aunt/uncle) options that can give you a percentage of likelihood that the individual is related.
You've got lots of options for DNA testing kids. Which one should you buy? These are the factors you should keep in mind as you decide:
To help you choose the right service to learn more about your health and heritage, Top Consumer Reviews has evaluated and ranked the most popular providers of DNA testing kits on the market today. We're confident that through these tests, you can discover everything you've wanted to know about your genetics!
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