That means either the various labs are piss-poor or that the consumers don't understand the various methods.

I'm betting most discrepancy is methodological.

Some of the comments on that website make me want to separate humans by chronological age of belief.

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You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman

23andme is good for doing the health labs and finding out your bioethnic ancestry: what percentage you are European, sub-saharan African, East Asian, and Native American.

For genealogy, Family Tree DNA - Genetic Genealogy Starts Here is by far superior because if has a significantly larger database of men that have tested.

You can trace your genealogy through your Y chromosome, which very rarely mutates, and is passed on from father to son.

Remember, the tests work when you can compare yourself to your matches, and family tree DNA has the database.

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Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

Wasn't 23andme under an FDA cease and desist?

Yes, for now, and it's related to the conclusions they make on the health panels.

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Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

Here's a copy of the e-mail I received from 23andme today:


Dear 23andMe Customers,

I'm writing to update you on our conversation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and how it impacts you.

If you are a customer whose kit was purchased before November 22, 2013, your 23andMe experience will not change. You will be able to access both ancestry and health-related information as you always have.

23andMe has complied with the FDA's directive and stopped offering new consumers access to health-related genetic results while the company moves forward with the agency's regulatory review processes. Be sure to refer to our 23andMe blog for updates.

We stand behind the data we have generated for customers. Our lab partner adheres to strict quality standards that are part of the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 - known as CLIA. These are the same standards used in the majority of other health and disease-related tests.

You are among the first people in the world to ever get access to their genomes. You are genetic pioneers. Thank you for your ongoing support and we look forward to continuing to serve you.

Anne Wojcicki
Co-founder and CEO, 23andMe

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Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

The website indicates that customers after 11/22 will receive raw data and "may" be able to get the health recommendations depending upon FDA's decision. Sounds to me like the FDA got it's nose out of joint because 23andMe didn't ask for a review in the first place. They just started selling the results. How DARE they??
Pretty sure my kit will have been purchased after 11/22. We'll see...

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You're a daisy if you do.
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84 Euro 240D 4spd. 220.5k sold
04 Honda Element AWD
1985 F150 XLT 4x4, 351W with 270k miles, hay hauler
1997 Suzuki Sidekick 4x4
1993 Toyota 4wd Pickup 226K and counting

I haven't read exactly what the FDA is upset about, but I think it's about the relative risks they assign to your genetic profile, and how likely / unlikely you are to get diabetes, heart disease, etc.

The Health Overview portion of your results are divided into four sections:

Health Risks
Drug Response
Inherited Conditions
Traits

It's the health risks conclusions that I believe are the problem the FDA has, because 23andme assigns your risk level as a percentage relative to what they consider to be average risk, and they tell you how likely / less likely to have a health risk for a number of conditions.

For example, Coronary Heat Disease. My risk is 56.7%. They assign an average risk as 46.8%, so compared to average, I am 1.21 times more likely to get coronary heart disease.

And there is a long list of items they test for, about a hundred, and I don't think the FDA has approved the percentages or the likelihood they assign.

I can't imagine they have an issue with the other items, because either you have inherited the genes for blonde hair, blue eyes, etc. or you haven't. The same with the gene for breast cancer, or diseases like Tay-Sachs disease, Phenylketonuria, Canavan Disease, Hemochromatosis, etc. They tell you if you've inherited two defective genes, one from each parent, which means you either already have or are going to get the disease. Or, if you have one defective gene, which means you are carrier and can pass on to your kids.

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Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

Imagine if a life insurance company used your genetic profile to give weight to a refusal to payout life insurance benefits to your loved ones after you die?

The could probably use it to adjust your premium.