Genetics May Impact COVID-19 Severity

| July 1, 2020

It’s been a global race to determine not only the cause and cure for COVID-19, but why some individuals experience life-threatening COVID-19 symptoms while others are asymptomatic or experience only mild symptoms.

Many scientists have turned to genetics for an answer. And while a whole picture is not yet complete, they are beginning to find trends. Specifically, there are two spots in the human genome are associated with an increased risk of respiratory failure in patients with COVID-19.

One of these was having Type A blood. Individuals with Type A blood were 50 % more likely to need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator. The other relates to ACE2, the cellular receptor needed by COVID-19 in order to enter host cells. An immune gene triggers an overreaction that leads to respiratory failure.

This information could be a breakthrough for the medical community—both in determining at-risk populations and providing tailored treatments for higher risk patients. Unfortunately, such technology takes time and is not currently available. Scientists are hopeful that these emerging trends will aid in the future to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Watch this video to learn more about genetics and COVID-19:

DNA Paternity Testing provides rock-solid answers to important questions like parentage and ancestry. With over 2,000 centers nationwide, DNA Paternity Testing Centers is one of the largest, most affordable, networks of accredited DNA testing labs in the United States. Our price is unbeatable without sacrificing quality. We offer DNA testing for paternity, maternity and all other relationships (grandparents, siblings, aunts/uncles).

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DNA Tests Can’t Determine Your Future

| June 15, 2020

We’ve all credited genetics with certain attributes or characteristics. You love spicy food like your grandpa, you laugh like your dad, or you’re double-jointed like your mom. For sure, genetics play a huge role in your personhood, but DNA itself doesn’t determine your future.

Many direct-to-consumer genetics companies promote that their take-at-home kit will predict your future diseases and health. While there certainly can be inherited genetic disorders, genes can be “turned on” and “turned off” over time by environmental factors like food choices, sleep habits, trauma, smoking, exercise, etc. This is called epigenetics:

This is excellent news to most of us: we are born with a set of genetics we can’t change, but through consistent, health-conscious choices, inherited diseases and illnesses don’t have to be in our future.

Epigenetics still has a long way to go, but epigenetics has a huge potential to influence the future of health. Until then, it’s best to avoid direct-to-consumer tests that advertise a peek into your future. And if you have a DNA test completed, it’s critical to have the results interpreted by your doctor or genetic counselor.

DNA Paternity Testing provides rock-solid answers to important questions like parentage and ancestry. With over 2,000 centers nationwide, DNA Paternity Testing Centers is one of the largest, most affordable, networks of accredited DNA testing labs in the United States. Our price is unbeatable without sacrificing quality. We offer DNA testing for paternity, maternity and all other relationships (grandparents, siblings, aunts/uncles).

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What Is a DNA Diet?

| June 1, 2020

You may have heard of the DNA Diet by now, which is becoming increasingly popular amongst dieters, especially if a “tried-and-true” diet is unsuccessful for an individual.

Based on the idea that no two people are the same, the DNA Diet proposes that no two diets should be the same. Hypothetically, if an individual knows their DNA makeup, a physician, dietician, or genetic counselor can help them discover a custom diet that fits their specific genetic code. Watch this video to learn more about how diet affects our genes:

This custom diet would help an individual lose weight and keep it off, build muscle, prevent diseases, and more. Who wouldn’t want those kinds of dietary answers? But is there scientific proof that DNA Diets work?

Although it is a fascinating idea, scientists are still hesitant to recommend DNA Diets. DNA Diets only look at genetic makeup and not at other factors, such as obesity, anorexia, medications, and pre-existing diseases. Eliminating certain foods—or even food groups—based upon DNA results could be detrimental to one’s health.

Further, genes only explain 5 to 10% of diseases such as diabetes. This means DNA Diets aren’t as personalized as they may seem. It is highly recommended to work closely with your physician or dietician when considering dietary changes.

DNA Paternity Testing provides rock-solid answers to important questions like parentage and ancestry. With over 2,000 centers nationwide, DNA Paternity Testing Centers is one of the largest, most affordable, networks of accredited DNA testing labs in the United States. Our price is unbeatable without sacrificing quality. We offer DNA testing for paternity, maternity and all other relationships (grandparents, siblings, aunts/uncles).

Call us today at 866.944.9546 or ORDER ONLINE!

Can Genetics Prove COVID-19 Susceptibility?

| May 15, 2020

Scientists from Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) are working with colleagues around the world to better understand why young patients with no underlying health issues are contracting severe cases of COVID-19. The focus of their study? Genetics.

Jean-Laurent Casanova at The Rockefeller University is the head investigator of a large study seeking to enroll 500 participants. Participants must meet three requirements: be under the age of 50, have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and admitted to an ICU, and not have any underlying illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, or lung disease.

In the study, HHMI scientists will examine the DNA of participants to identify any genetic mutations that make certain individuals more susceptible to COVID-19. This video explains more about genetic predisposition:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T18qDxMxD2M

Casanova and his team have been working with Chinese scientists from the very beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak. He has been studying young adults and children without the standard risk factors. Now that there are more cases to study, Casanova and his team are optimistic they will find susceptibility answers in genetics.

The team has been successful before—finding genetic links and errors for diseases such as influenza pneumonitis, viral encephalitis, and tuberculosis. Even though Casanova can study the virus in real-time, he says his research won’t be conclusive for two or three more years.

DNA Paternity Testing provides rock-solid answers to important questions like parentage and ancestry. With over 2,000 centers nationwide, DNA Paternity Testing Centers is one of the largest, most affordable, networks of accredited DNA testing labs in the United States. Our price is unbeatable without sacrificing quality. We offer DNA testing for paternity, maternity and all other relationships (grandparents, siblings, aunts/uncles).

Call us today at 866.944.9546 or ORDER ONLINE!

When You Didn’t Agree to That

| May 1, 2020

Between work and social obligations, it can be hard to find to the time to take a DNA test at a physician’s office or testing center! The convenience and price of take-at-home DNA tests can be enticing.

But what you might initially save in time and money, you might regret later! Take-at-home DNA tests have been used in scams, identity theft, undermine your privacy, and can even give false results.

Like most service companies, direct-to-consumer DNA companies have lots of paperwork, Terms of Service Agreements, and releases for the customer to read and sign. Even if you’re one of the few people who take the time to read all the fine print and feel informed of your consent, a new report shows two shocking details.

First, direct-to-consumer companies are only bound by their own terms of service. There are currently no regulations or laws regarding how genetic information can be used or sold. Once you turn in your test tubes, your genetic information is no longer your own.

But as if that wasn’t scary enough, the second detail is more concerning: genetic companies can change their terms of service at any time. So while you might have signed a release for a certain agreement on how your genetic information will be used, the testing company can change their service terms and void your agreement. Watch this video to see other risks involved with using a take-at-home test:

But with DNA Paternity Testing, we use extreme measures to keep your medical information secure. We train all our staff on all HIPAA compliance policies and ensuring that all tests and counseling remain confidential.  We never sell or release your information except if needed to comply with HIPAA standards. Your results are safe with us!

DNA Paternity Testing provides rock-solid answers to important questions like parentage and ancestry. With over 2,000 centers nationwide, DNA Paternity Testing Centers is one of the largest, most affordable, networks of accredited DNA testing labs in the United States. Our price is unbeatable without sacrificing quality. We offer DNA testing for paternity, maternity and all other relationships (grandparents, siblings, aunts/uncles). Call us today at 866.944.9546 or ORDER ONLINE!

DNA Tests Can Aid with COVID-19 Testing

| April 14, 2020

One laboratory in Milford, Connecticut, claims they have a DNA test that can accurately determine COVID-19 results.

Dr. Sin Hang Lee with Milford Molecular Diagnostics says there are five strains of coronavirus currently circulating in various parts of the world. But as we now know, these strains could be anywhere and not localized to a region of the world. Strains discovered in the United States were later found in Hong Kong and Spain. This video explains how COVID-19 evolves:

Knowing which strain is affecting each patient is crucial to containing the spread of the virus and treating patients effectively. Some strains are more virulent than others and cause more deaths, but determining which strain a patient has gives them the best chance in fighting the disease.

Lee says there have been countless false negatives for COVID-19, which exacerbates further risk, transmission, and deaths. “False negatives have been reported all over the world in China, Europe, and the United States. And the technology being used is not accurate enough,” said Lee.

Lee’s testing measures takes questionable COVID-19 samples (those that could be false or positive) and obtains the correct result in 24 hours!

Like many other healthcare professionals seeking to aid in the fight against COVID-19, Lee has reached out to the World Health Organization in hopes they will use his testing method for accurate results. His test is currently under review by state officials.

DNA Paternity Testing provides rock-solid answers to important questions like parentage and ancestry. With over 2,000 centers nationwide, DNA Paternity Testing Centers is one of the largest, most affordable, networks of accredited DNA testing labs in the United States. Our price is unbeatable without sacrificing quality. We offer DNA testing for paternity, maternity and all other relationships (grandparents, siblings, aunts/uncles).

Call us today at 866.944.9546 or ORDER ONLINE!

At-Home Tests Pose Unique Risks for Military Personnel

| April 1, 2020

By know you’ve heard the dozens of reasons to avoid take-at-home DNA tests. Not only have at-home DNA kits been the cause for healthcare scams and stolen identities, but there are no laws regulating how the information can be used and sold. The bottom line is that your privacy is at significant risk by submitting your DNA to a direct-to-consumer testing agency. This video summarizes those risks:

This couldn’t be truer for military personnel! In a recent warning issued by the Pentagon, military personnel are strongly cautioned to avoid using at-home kits, even from big-name companies like Ancestry and 23andMe. These companies have been known to specifically target military personnel with discounts.

The memo states: “These [direct-to-consumer] genetic tests are largely unregulated and could expose personal and genetic information, and potentially create unintended security consequences and increased risk to the joint force and mission.” Some of these unintended consequences include military and CIA personnel who are traveling under aliases being denied safety and airline privileges.

One other major factor to consider is that military personnel must report any medical issues. Someone might simply be curious about their ancestry but instead find medical information that disqualifies them from continuing in the service. With more and more DNA kits including medical information “perks” to their tests, this scenario is becoming more common.

But with DNA Paternity Testing, we use extreme measures to keep your medical information secure. We train all our staff on all HIPAA compliance policies and ensuring that all tests and counseling remain confidential.  We never sell or release your information except if needed to comply with HIPAA standards. Your results are safe with us!

DNA Paternity Testing provides rock-solid answers to important questions like parentage and ancestry. With over 2,000 centers nationwide, DNA Paternity Testing Centers is one of the largest, most affordable, networks of accredited DNA testing labs in the United States. Our price is unbeatable without sacrificing quality. We offer DNA testing for paternity, maternity and all other relationships (grandparents, siblings, aunts/uncles). Call us today at 866.944.9546 or ORDER ONLINE!

Can You Trust the Medical Results from a DNA Kit?

| March 15, 2020

As take-at-home DNA kits slowly decline in popularity, DNA companies struggle to find new niches to make a profit. Currently, the biggest trend is to offer a peek into the consumer’s medical future and what diseases they are at risk for developing.

Although our DNA contains all this information, interpretation of DNA results hasn’t caught up to the genetic testing advancement. And one story from Colorado illustrates that while science has come a long way, there’s still a lot we don’t know.

When Katy Mathes and six of her female family members received the results of their DNA tests, the medical results showed significant risk for developing cancer. Mathes had an 84% risk of breast cancer by age 70.

As a form of preventative healthcare, all seven women had surgery to remove their ovaries and fallopian tubes. Mathes and her sister additionally underwent double mastectomies.

However, years later, the DNA results from Myriad Genetics were reclassified from “pathogenic” to having “unknown significance.”

“My brain just shut off,” Mathes said, recalling when she learned the test was wrong.

While Susan Manley, senior vice president of medical services at Myriad, offered consolation by saying they take reclassification very seriously, her following statement perfectly sums up the distrust behind DNA medical conclusions: “The science is evolving.”

And she’s right. As science evolves, current theories are disproven. At this time, take-at-home DNA kits cannot be trusted for medical conclusions or predictions. This video shows how science has evolved… and how it’s continuing to evolve:

DNA Paternity Testing provides rock-solid answers to important questions like parentage and ancestry. With over 2,000 centers nationwide, DNA Paternity Testing Centers is one of the largest, most affordable, networks of accredited DNA testing labs in the United States. Our price is unbeatable without sacrificing quality. We offer DNA testing for paternity, maternity and all other relationships (grandparents, siblings, aunts/uncles). Call us today at 866.944.9546 or ORDER ONLINE!

At-Home DNA Tests Don’t Tell All

| March 1, 2020

In case you were considering taking a direct-to-consumer DNA test like 23andMe or Ancestry, here’s a reason the think twice.

The US Food and Drug Administration do not allow direct-to-consumer companies to sell any tests that could make a medical diagnosis without oversight of their physician. But the demand to make medical disease predictions is at an all-time high. To meet demand by staying legal, then, these companies offer a watered-down version of a physician-ordered DNA test.

Take-at-home tests only test for a handful of genetic mutations and don’t offer any interpretation of the results. Because these companies can’t provide a comprehensive genetic test, their take-at-home tests will never give a complete picture of your health or future. Watch this video to learn more:

To compound the problem, consumers rarely take their results to their physician or genetic counselor and instead assume and read into their findings. (There are some things Google and forums can’t tell you!)

Although DNA Paternity Testing doesn’t offer interpretation of your genetic results, we do a complete physician-grade genetic screening. You can trust the accuracy of your results so that a physician or genetic counselor can interpret the results correctly.

DNA Paternity Testing provides rock-solid answers to important questions like parentage and ancestry. With over 2,000 centers nationwide, DNA Paternity Testing Centers is one of the largest, most affordable, networks of accredited DNA testing labs in the United States. Our price is unbeatable without sacrificing quality. We offer DNA testing for paternity, maternity and all other relationships (grandparents, siblings, aunts/uncles). Call us today at 866.944.9546 or ORDER ONLINE!

Have You Given Police Access to Your DNA?

| February 16, 2020

As the concerns for DNA at-home tests privacy continue to rise, one criminal case in Florida is drawing attention to lack of privacy yet again.

A Florida detective recently revealed he had obtained a warrant from a local judge to search the GEDmatch database of over one million profiles in order to solve his case. This appears to be the first record of a judge approving such a warrant. Such development could have profound implications for genetic privacy.

DNA policy experts suspect the development was likely to embolden similar search warrants from 23andMe, which has 10 million users, and Ancestry.com, which has 15 million.

“That’s a huge game-changer,” said Erin Murphy, a law professor at New York University. “[GEDmatch] made a decision to keep law enforcement out, and that’s been overridden by a court. It’s a signal that no genetic information can be safe.”

The two most popular at-home DNA test companies, Ancestry.com and 23andMe, assure their consumers they will keep DNA off-limits to forensics. But this judicial overturning clearly says otherwise.

However, at DNA Paternity Testing, you can rest assured that your results are safe with us because they are protected by HIPAA standards! We use extreme measures to keep your medical information secure, especially with our home kits. We train all our staff on all HIPAA compliance policies and ensuring that all tests and counseling remain confidential.

DNA Paternity Testing provides rock-solid answers to important questions like parentage and ancestry. With over 2,000 centers nationwide, DNA Paternity Testing Centers is one of the largest, most affordable, networks of accredited DNA testing labs in the United States. Our price is unbeatable without sacrificing quality. We offer DNA testing for paternity, maternity and all other relationships (grandparents, siblings, aunts/uncles).

Call us today at 866.944.9546 or ORDER ONLINE!