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Bruce Morrill is something of a health nut. So when his nutritionist suggested he take a $695 DNA test so she could individualize his diet plan, Morrill, a 42-year-old UPS driver from Reno, Nev., agreed. He submitted a cheek swab and, a few weeks later, learned he had a genetic variant that made it difficult for him to metabolize vitamin B--a risk factor for heart disease. The solution? He beefed up on vitamin-B-rich foods like eggs, dairy products and poultry.
No longer content with cutting carbs or calories, some nutrition-obsessed individuals have come up with a new strategy to stay healthy longer: matching their diets to their DNA. Simple genetic tests can help prove what one's family history merely suggests: which diseases you're at highest risk for developing. If you tailor your diet to your genetic makeup, some scientists say you can help head off serious illnesses.
It may not be that simple. Raymond Rodriguez, director of the Center of Excellence for Nutritional Genomics at the University of California, Davis, says that although you can change your diet to affect your vulnerability to certain diseases, "we're just not sure how significant those dietary changes will turn out to be." Large parts of the human genome remain unexplored, and environmental factors affect disease, too. The tests will tell you if you're at heightened risk for bone loss, diabetes or heart disease--but not dementia or leukemia, which have a less clear genetic basis.
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But for some people, incomplete information is better than none at all. And while the tests--now available from physicians and nutritionists, and over the counter at drugstores--currently appeal to a niche market, they're expected to go mainstream as they become cheaper and more comprehensive. Here's the skinny on getting tested.
High-end wellness centers and doctors who focus on preventive health (read: they don't take insurance) will charge you between $1,500 and $2,500 for a full battery of genetic tests. Your results are interpreted by a physician who also learns your family history and gives you a thorough physical.
Nutritionists offer genetic tests, too. For $700 to $1,200, you'll get diet and lifestyle recommendations based on your genes--usually, you'll be asked to add specific vitamin and mineral supplements to a diet centered on fruits, vegetables, whole wheat and lean protein (see eatright.org for a list of nutritionists).
Feeling frugal? An over-the-counter test sold by Sciona might be the answer. For $99, the kits, available at pharmacies, test for vulnerabilities to bone loss, heart disease, diabetes and excess inflammation. To check it out, I had my DNA tested for insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes, to see if I was destined to become part of the growing epidemic. Three weeks after I sent in my swab and a multiple-choice questionnaire, I learned that of the six genes tested, five put me at risk--odd, since no one in my family is even remotely diabetic. I got a 28-page booklet--mostly medical boilerplate--with the not-so-astonishing recommendation that I should exercise more and eat more fatty fish. Since then, I've been dutifully taking fish-oil pills, but, on the whole, spending $99 on some running shoes rather than a DNA test might have had more health advantages.
Others swear by the procedure. Patricia Hicksted, 58, of Reno, didn't want to wait. Her DNA test ended her scattershot approach to supplements. When her joints were aching, she says, "I used to take whatever was on the shelf at the drugstore." Now she eats more fatty fish and takes boron to help with calcium absorption. Although she spends more money on supplements now, the test ensured "they're the right ones for my body." And for her, at least, that result is an A-plus.
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