In 1990, the Human Genome Project began mapping and cataloging all 25,000 human chromosomes and started to identify the building blocks of all human life. Three decades later and genetic research has expanded to help the health industry identify links between illness and hereditary factors, prevent genetic diseases, and treat a long list of conditions and health concerns.
Genetic therapies have improved health care resources for many different illnesses. The potential for curing and treating diseases like AIDS, hemophilia, heart disease, cancer, and cystic fibrosis. Genetic research has improved the lives of millions of people through understanding how DNA and genes function and change.
- Helping Older Parents Have Healthy Babies
You have probably heard that older women potentially risk health issues if they wait to have kids past the age of 35. There are some issues associated with older mothers like having trouble getting pregnant, gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and hypertension. Most tests are to ensure the baby is healthy.
Many people wait until they are older and more financially secure to start a family and as a result, the obstetrician may ask the parents to submit to a DNA test or genetic screening. Typically, these tests are reserved for people with close relatives that present symptoms of a hereditary disease
- Ruling Out Diseases like Tay Sachs
Tay-Sachs disease is a very rare disease that is passed down when both parents have the faulty gene and the child is born with both copies of the HEXA gene.
Tay Sachs is a progressive illness that destroys nerves and the spinal cord. Infants born with Tay-Sachs begin to show symptoms between the ages of 3 until 6 months. Sadly, the child will stop growing and eventually lead to death.
However, both parents would need to pass on these genes for the child to be symptomatic.
- Take a Deep Dive into Your Family History
The study of genealogy and DNA are dramatically different topics of research but they information garnered from both genetic data and genealogical research can enhance your health, connect you to family members, and help you understand your place in the world.
Ancestors give us hope because they survived and thrived under circumstances that are difficult for many of us to imagine today.
There are many reasons to get a DNA test. Potential parents will want to rule out genetic abnormalities, health and wellness professionals may want a snapshot of the illnesses or conditions that are sometimes associated with persons’ genes. Not every DNA test is built or evaluated with the same scientific care. DNAWeekly provides an objective outlook on the laboratories and companies that create and examine genetic tests.
It is always a good idea to read reviews and industry-related commentary when buying a consumer-based genetic test. There are many DNA Tests on the market that vary in reliability and accuracy.
- Live Longer
It is estimated that genetics determine the length of our lives by an estimated 25 percent. But it is not just the actual make-up of our genetic codes that dictate how long we live but also our likelihood of developing diseases later in life.
- Make the World a Smaller Place
A DNA test can illustrate how people have been mixing and moving for thousands of years.
A deeper perspective about your genetic profile can help you make wiser lifestyle choices, prevent hereditary illness, and connect you to the big, wide world.
Understanding where our ancient ancestors come from reduces the differences that separate communities today by helping us recognize that there is just one, big, human family.
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