The endless methods of changing a person's lifestyle to a healthy one are on shelves in almost every store, not to mention the internet. It takes a motivated person to change how they live their everyday life, and battle obesity or potential heart disease. A new motivation emerged from the invention of DNA health kit testing.
Once someone has genetic testing performed, they will learn of the health risks that are written into their DNA. This factual understanding of genetics is making everyone take their conditions, or prospective conditions, to heart.
Finnish scientists have recently finished a study calculating how people finding out their genes hold health risks affected their lifestyle afterwards. Ninety Percent of those in the study said they were at risk for heart disease made healthy changes to their lifestyle. Finland has been at the top of the genetic testing leaderboard for years, leading them to many societal health benefits.
DNA Testing - A Fruitful Trend
DNA testing has been relevant for years. Although it is mostly used to identify victims and perpetrators of crimes, and determine paternity. These were costly, and not easily obtained by the common folk. Even in the healthcare space, the cost of these tests are steep and not covered by most insurances.
The future of dna testing is far from these past happening. The DNA health kit market is booking, with companies that will perform the testing in person, or multiple places that offer a kit that when purchased online will be mailed to be completed.
After using a DNA kits to see the potential health risks that run in your family, most will change their exercising, or quit smoking. The actual percentages of successful cases of this in the Finnish study were: 17% of smokers quit, and 13.7 % of people were able to keep the weight off.
Generally speaking, none of the diseases shown in a dna health screen are certain to occur. Some, because of genetics, are simply more likely to develop heart disease, or be overweight. This predisposition does not guarantee someone will contract the condition, only that they are more likely to since it runs in their line.
The strange occurrence within the Finnish study, was those who already knew their cholesterol was high began to take steps to fix it once the genetic testing showed the markers. There is something about being faced with the factual data of the data kits.
Government Health Testing Trials
Now, with genetic testing becoming accessible to the masses, governments are even giving their citizens the option of this testing. Estonia is rolling out a trial where 100,000 of their citizens will receive the test. This will give the population an understanding of their particular risks. Then, the country hopes these citizens will take steps once faced with their genetic health issues.
More results from the Estonian and Finnish studies, and the actions that will come from them are soon to be released after submission to the European Society of Human Genetics. This could help countries across the globe ignite healthy motivation within their communities.
While the health kits do help those worried about the chance of disease, if they test positive, go see your doctor. At this point they will know the best course of action to make those changes, before the disease comes about.
Giving A Better Understanding to Genetics
Many conditions are passed down within a family. Two biggest are cancer and diabetes. Knowing about these conditions being within your genetics is not as easy as asking your mother. It is a sad reality that there are many children without knowledge of their biological parents, or any family history. Also, even if the specific disease has not shown its face in generations, it could still show up in your genetics and need prevented.
Genes for diseases need activated, so if you practice the correct lifestyle and avoid the markers that make you more vulnerable to develop the disorder.
Health Care Is Improving
All of the valuable information from DNA tests are improving specialized treatment centers across the world. This gives healthcare the option to treat people according to their predetermined risks.
Healthcare 'tailoring' is what will make us healthier- by the masses. Knowing someone's genetic history can help with unrelated disorders. Or, any treatments being performed in a hospital. The combination of risks you have will also matter, so they can be treated together and not separately.
This sounds like a bit of a scare tactic, but it is smart to always know what could happen in the future. Heart attacks are daily killers and can occur anytime, no matter what the person experiencing it thinks. So a harsh reality like obesity and heart disease being in one's genes is seeminging like the push they need to become healthy.
This goes double for having children. When an unborn baby experiences an issue inside of the mom, their genes can be looked at to see if any markers come back positive. Even if the child is healthy in the womb, the testing will tell you want genetic conditions the baby is more likely to have later in life.
You can then take steps as the parent to know how to take care of the child appropriately according to their condition. Then, you can take that information and teach them how to continue caring for themselves,
Take Control of Your Health and Know Your Risks
DNA testing is creating a way for people to know the potential risks that are specific to their health. This concrete information is almost like a wake-up call. While it is never good news to know you have a higher than average chance for heart disease, it can help you prevent it by changing daily choices. It is starting to be seen the power these tests hold, and how a concrete connection between genes and health conditions result in citizens taking care of the problem before it occurs. The advancements and accessibility of these kits are making people's lives longer and healthier.
