MyHeritageDNA launches Health + Ancestry test kit

Last week, MyHeritageDNA launched a Health + Ancestry DNA test. It is the company's second product, and an extension from its successful Autosomal (atDNA) DNA test, which launched in 2016 and now has a dataabse of some 2.5million tested individuals around the globe.

The new product includes all of the features of the current MyHeritage DNA test (to be referred to from now on as the 'MyHeritage DNA Ancestry-Only test'), including matching to relatives based on shared DNA, ethnicity estimates, a chromosome browser, etc but comes also with dozens of personalised health reports.

MyHeritage says these results include 'reports on conditions caused by single genes, such as hereditary breast cancer, late-onset Alzheimer’s disease, and late-onset Parkinson’s disease; conditions caused by multiple variants, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and female breast cancer; and carrier status reports on conditions that can be passed down from a couple to their children, such as Tay-Sachs disease and cystic fibrosis.'

They add: 'Altogether, the MyHeritage DNA Health + Ancestry test covers one of the most extensive ranges of conditions offered by an at-home DNA test, and we are working on adding many more conditions immediately following the launch and going forward.'

I've always felt a little uneasy about these kind of tests being aimed at consumers. The tests may be extremely efficient, and I've no doubt some people learn information that has helped improve their lives, but I still don't feel comfortable about them. For that reason, other than reporting news of this development from one of the leading genealogy suppliers, I will be mentioning only the Ancestry-only test kit on this blog in future.

If you're interested to learn more about this addition to the company's DNA range, go to MyHeritage.com and select 'Health' from the menu at the top of the page.

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