There are few fads to have taken off in the past few years as much as the home DNA testing kit. While other trends have come and gone within a matter of months, these test kits have stuck around. More and more people are choosing to send their spit in a vial to find out where their ancestors are from. It clearly has a major appeal. But is it actually worth the time and money?
It is easy to be disillusioned by this kind of trend, especially when you see Americans online claiming a tiny amount of diversity, simply because they are X percent African or Native American. However, there are legitimate reasons to send for a home DNA testing kit.
You can see this MyHeritage review to get an idea of the features of these kits. Here is what you can learn from ancestry testing.
Your roots matter
The topic of heritage is tricky. What is a person’s heritage? Is it related to your biological ancestry or is it more connected to how you were brought up? Therefore, the claim that you can find your heritage with home DNA kits is debatable. If you find out that some of your ancestors came from Africa, that’s not going to change the way you view your own culture and lifestyle.
However, that doesn’t mean you won’t gain anything from the information. On the contrary, it can help you connect more with your identity. On the one hand, it can make you appreciate your values even more. You were not simply born with certain values and beliefs, but inherited them through your family, society, and your own searching.
On the other hand, it shows you that different values and opinions are on the surface. You have more in common with different cultures than you think. A shared genetic history demonstrates that even if you consider yourself to be totally different from another cultural group, you can find common ground.
Health benefits
But home DNA test kits are not just for finding out about your ancestry. They can actually have very important health benefits for you and your family. As we know, many illnesses are more common among certain ethnicities and cultures. Some conditions are passed down within a family.
Your genetic results can show whether there are conditions you should look out for. If you know that your family has a vulnerability to a specific kind of cancer, you can do tests every year and can diagnose it before it causes major problems.
DNA testing can even help you ensure that your children are not affected by any conditions that may run in your genes. There are many conditions that are asymptomatic if you are a carrier, but will cause major issues if you have children with another carrier. Finding out about your status as a carrier can help you make decisions on whether to use IVF or other options. This can save you and your future children a lot of terrible pain.
Home DNA test kits are sticking around for a reason. Give it a try, and see how the results benefit you.