Your DNA matters in so many ways. DNA tests and testing kits can be useful to tell you about your ancestry and your history. They can make you aware of health risks and genetic things that you never knew about before. You can learn so much about who you are and where you came from thanks to simple DNA testing.
If you’ve been thinking about trying out a DNA testing kit, check out these benefits! In this guide, we share seven benefits of DNA testing. Discover many things about who you are, all from a simple test kit. Read more about the benefits below.
1. Pinpoint Hereditary Diseases
One of the top benefits of using a DNA testing kit is to make yourself aware of any hereditary diseases you could potentially face later in life. Even a cheap DNA test will typically cover this line item so you can know if there are diseases that have been passed down in your family. The test kit will look for genes that could be passed down through generations.
There are a lot of hereditary diseases out there, but these are some common ones you might learn more about:
- Certain cancer genes
- Diabetes
- Heart disease
- Down syndrome
- Klinefelter syndrome
- Muscular dystrophy
- Cystic fibrosis
- Huntington’s disease
- Parkinson’s disease
These are just a few examples, but there are many more out there that could affect you. Why not be aware?
2. Simple Mailing Format
With a DNA testing kit, you don’t have to make appointments and then wait endlessly for lab processing. Yes, you can go through medical DNA testing with your provider, but the kits don’t require this. The kits keep the process simple, and you mail in the samples that they request.
They provide specific instructions as well as packaging to send in your samples.
You just collect what they request, pack it up, and send it on the way. You will likely still wait a couple of weeks for results, but this typically isn’t an urgent matter that you need answers to immediately.
3. Affordable Testing Options
Some of the testing kits out there can be pretty expensive. There are also plenty of kits and options that are perfectly affordable. With a little planning, you can likely afford a DNA testing kit of some sort. The cheap testing kits are good quality and will get you the answers you’re looking for. These kits are more affordable than working through insurance or your healthcare provider. You just pay the fee for the kit, and you’re done.
4. Opportunity for Proactive Health Care
When you take a DNA test and learn different things about your health, it allows you the opportunity to be proactive. Perhaps you discover a cancer gene that you never knew about. Thanks to the DNA testing process, you can be proactive about testing and monitoring so you know right away if you do end up with cancer. That proactive approach just might give you a better chance of fighting it should cancer appear.
5. Discover Your Ancestry
A lot of people go through DNA testing because they want to know more about their heritage. This is a great benefit of the kits. When you submit the testing, you find out what your heritage is. If others in your family tree have been tested or are a match, the results will alert you to this. It’s a tool of self-discovery that gives you so much insight into your history that you may not have known about before.
6. Nutritional Needs
Did you know that a DNA test might be able to provide some insight into your nutritional needs? While it won’t necessarily give you a full meal plan, it may let you in on some secrets your body has kept from you. DNA tests can reveal things about food allergies or intolerances and sensitivities. Then, you can use that information to improve your health and plan meals that fit best into what your body needs.
7. Physical Trait Profile
Finally, you can learn a lot about your physical traits from a DNA kit. This isn’t just your health risks or potential hereditary diseases. The physical trait profiles will let you in on secrets about your skin, such as wrinkles, hydration needs, acne, and other aspects. In addition, it might also provide some insight into body shape or weight gain and loss.
When you know the genetics of your physical traits, you have a tool to combat any struggles you might face. While it doesn’t necessarily make overcoming these challenges easy, it provides you with information you might need to combat the struggles.
Isreal olabanji a dental assistant and public health professionals and has years of experience in assisting the dentist with all sorts of dental issues.
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