"This test, as well as many of those
offered by the hundreds of big and small DNA testing companies on the
market, illustrates the uncertainty of personalized consumer genetics.
The
bet that companies like 23andMe are making is that they can untangle
this mess and translate their results back to people in a way that won’t
cross the line into deceptive marketing while still convincing their
customers they truly matter. Other companies have teamed up
with outside labs and doctors to look over customers’ genes and have
hired genetic counselors to go over their results, which might place
them on safer legal and medical ground. But it still raises the question
of whether people will benefit from the information they get. And
because our knowledge of the relationship between genes and health is constantly changing, it’s very much possible the DNA test you take in 2020 will tell you a totally different story by 2030."
