FAQs

Your DNA is the carrier of all your genetic information, it contains the instructions you need to develop, live and reproduce.

Your 23,000 genes are made up of DNA and contain instructions for our cells to make compounds known as proteins. Proteins provide the structure and function to all living things.

You have a mechanism in your DNA that influences your genes to respond to what you do to ‘express’ themselves. Genes can be turned on, off, up or down depending on the signals we give them.

A polymorphism is simply a variation of a gene. Polymorphisms are not mutations, they are inherited from one or both parents. Some polymorphisms may affect how well a particular function works in your body.

Having a genetic risk or predisposition does not mean you will get a specific disease. People are diagnosed with diseases everyday that they have no genetic predisposition to. Many people that have a genetic predisposition towards a disease don’t ever get it. This is because the genetic risk is only part of the story. Our diet and lifestyle decisions also influence our risk for disease.

Most DNA health tests will establish your genetic risk and compare it to a global average. Genetics has moved a long way since the mapping of the human genome in 2003. Geneticists have found that the lifestyle decisions we make send messages to our genes, messages that guide them respond to what we do.

The ‘Live Better Longer’ program takes your DNA health test results and creates a personalised lifestyle plan that may help you send the signals to your genes that improve your health.

Our programs focus on six lifestyle factors: diet; stress; exercise; meditation; sleep and emotions.

You will receive a test kit in the mail that includes a saliva swab, instructions and a postage paid envelope to mail your sample back to us. We send your sample to the laboratory. We receive your results and prepare your ‘Live Better Longer’ program. Results take approximately 6 weeks from the time you send your sample to us.

Your results will be available online and only available to you or anyone you share your password with. For each single health or diet condition we explain what it is, why it’s important, what your genetic predisposition is, what the global average is and what you can do that may reduce any risk you have.

The live better longer program takes into account all your results and creates a personalised lifestyle plan that may help you send the signals to your genes that improve your health.

Your Live Better Longer report will compare all your ‘risk genes’ for each disease, with the global average. For most diseases it is currently not possible to assess your specific genetic risk. We show you whether you are at more or less risk than average. This allows us to target your ‘Live Better Longer’ program to only those areas where you have a higher risk.

Results take approximately 6 weeks from the time you send your sample to us.

No. To get a disease you need to have a number of factors working against you e.g. nutrition, stress, lack of exercise etc. Genetics is only one factor.

The purpose of these reports is to understand what diseases you may be more genetically predisposed to, so that you can consider taking our evidence based prevention suggestions as soon as possible.

In Australia it is illegal for health insurance companies or anyone else to discriminate based on genetic information.

That’s great. Contact us via the enquiry form and let us know. All we need is your data file on your 23andMe account page and we can prepare your reports. We take the cost of the test off your fee.

Yes we test a number of polymorphisms of BRCA1 and BRCA2. A BRCA genetic test ordered by your GP, whilst costing approximately $2000, will test 24-26 polymorphisms and give you an accurate figure for how many times more or less likely you are to get breast cancer. Our report tests for 16 BRCA and related genes. It will not show you a figure for your genetic risk for breast cancer. It will show how your risk profile compares with the global average for these polymorphisms.

Yes, the MTHFR gene test is included and reported on.

Yes, you will find a diet plan containing foods to eat more of and foods to avoid in order to positively change the expression of your genes based on your results. You will also get information about which type of diet your body responds best to.

The laboratory always finds the gene but unless they are 100% sure of the exact polymorphism , they report a ‘no call’. So you can be sure that the results you get are accurate but very occasionally when only one polymorphism is tested and we get a ‘no call’ we can’t report on that gene.