A friend of Gwen Schroeder once told her: “Don’t cheer from the sidelines if you can run the race.”<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-20235" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Gwen-1-214x300.jpg" alt="Gwen " width="214" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Gwen-1-214x300.jpg 214w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Gwen-1-842x1180.jpg 842w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Gwen-1-768x1076.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Gwen-1-731x1024.jpg 731w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Gwen-1-628x880.jpg 628w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Gwen-1-scaled.jpg 1828w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 214px) 100vw, 214px" />
So when her father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, Gwen laced up her shoes.
<h6>The First Step</h6>
A post-production manager who works in New York City for the TED Conferences, Gwen signed up to run a marathon to raise money for the<a href="https://www.michaeljfox.org/"> Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research</a>.
Since that first marathon, Gwen has run in three more, even strapping a camera to her head as part of the effort. In the process, she has raised over $20,000 for Parkinson’s research.
Not content with just fundraising on her own, Gwen has also joined clinical trials for Parkinson’s research and become a mentor for Team Fox, the grassroots fundraising arm of the<a href="https://www.michaeljfox.org/"> Michael J Fox Foundation</a>.
<h6>Participating in Research</h6>
On top of all that, Gwen signed up with 23andMe specifically to help in the company’s<a href="https://www.23andme.com/pd/"> Parkinson’s Research Community.</a>
“For a while, I avoided even thinking about sending a kit off,” she said about testing. “But the more I considered it, the more I felt like this was a tiny step towards a greater understanding of Parkinson&#8217;s disease. My participation could someday help another family. So, I took a deep breath, spit into the little jar and sent it off.”
But once she decided to test, Gwen said her concerns evaporated.
&#8220;Once I made the decision to do it I was fine,” she said.
That didn’t mean she wasn’t curious about what she would learn, but much more comfortable with it. And for Gwen what was most important was helping the Parkinson’s community.
“The knowledge that I’ve furthered research makes everything I’ve learned about my genes far less scary.”
Results will vary due to unique differences in each individual’s DNA. On average users receive at least one or two results that may be relevant to proactively managing health. 23andMe&#8217;s service does not diagnose disease. 23andMe is not a substitute for professional medical or diagnostic advice.

23andMe Blog

23andMe Blog Team

Getting In the Race

<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-20229 aligncenter" alt="High Cholesterol Infographic" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/High-Cholesterol-Infographic.jpg" width="693" height="448" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/High-Cholesterol-Infographic.jpg 693w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/High-Cholesterol-Infographic-300x194.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 693px) 100vw, 693px" />For the live-updated, fully-labelled, interactive version of this infographic, <a href="http://curetogether.com/high-cholesterol/ig/treatment-effectiveness-vs-popularity" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">click here</a>.
By Alex Carmichael, Co-Founder of CureTogether
If part of your plan for 2014 is to eat healthier, exercise, and lower your cholesterol, this post is for you! Some of the most popular treatments for High Cholesterol are not necessarily the most effective, according to a new study by CureTogether, a free resource owned by 23andMe that allows people to share information about their health and treatments.
Participants in the study said they found that some drugs – including Statins, Crestor, and Lipitor – were the most effective. Conversely some popular treatments such as Fish oil and Vitamin D were among the least effective, according to the study. High Cholesterol affects millions of Americans. Finding treatments that work well is important to improve quality of life, so CureTogether asked people living with High Cholesterol to rate the effectiveness of different treatments.
CureTogether’s study compiled responses from 1,862 people with High Cholesterol, who rated the effectiveness of 19 different treatments. Among the most helpful treatments were statin drugs, weight loss, exercise, and quitting smoking. Also effective for those in the study were diet changes including reducing carbohydrates. The people in the study also said that cinnamon and garlic – both folk remedies –  were not as effective.
<div style="float: right; text-align: justified; width: 200px; background-color: #eee; padding: 15px; margin-left: 10px;">Most Effective Rated Treatments for People with High Cholesterol 
1. Statins 
2. Crestor 
3. Lipitor 
4. Quit smoking 
5. Zocor 
6. Weight loss 
7. Niaspan 
8. No carbohydrates 
9. Exercise 
10. Red yeast rice</div>
Where did this data come from? This is the result of a four-year CureTogether study on <a href="http://curetogether.com/high-cholesterol/treatments/">High Cholesterol</a>, in which people suffering from the condition shared information about their symptoms and what treatments worked best for them. We’d like to thank those who participated. And just as they shared their experience with High Cholesterol treatments, we’re freely and openly sharing the results of the High Cholesterol study.
This is part of a regular series of CureTogether <a href="http://curetogether.com/blog/category/research-findings/">research findings</a>. CureTogether’s research findings are different than <a href="https://www.23andme.com/about/factoids/">those made by 23andMe</a>, which look at genetic associations with illness, traits and drug response. But as we continue our work with the CureTogether community, 23andMe hopes to incorporate more of this kind of self-reported information into our own research. CureTogether present its findings just as they are — patient-reported data — to stimulate discussion and generate new insights for further research.
Please tweet, blog, or pass this along to anyone who can benefit or is interested in High Cholesterol. Thank you!

Alexandra Carmichael

What Patients Say Works For High Cholesterol

23andMe offers people the chance to explore their own DNA, but for Jason Gullickson, that wasn’t enough.
Jason wanted to touch his data. He wanted to hold it up to the light and turn it around. He wanted to make it tangible.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-20194" alt="jason g" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/jason-g-300x199.jpg" width="300" height="199" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/jason-g-300x199.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/jason-g-768x510.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/jason-g-880x585.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/jason-g.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
A programmer who likes to make things, Jason is fascinated with what he can do with data, and for him, the magic happens when the data takes form.
“As a programmer, I am always dealing with complex data in a two-dimensional format on a computer screen,” he said. “I am always looking for ways to make that data easier to understand and digest using 3D modeling.”
<h6>Visualizing The Code</h6>
Using new 3D printer technology Jason likes to translate data into objects.
“Instantaneously when it comes out of the printer, I can understand so much more about the thing I have designed,” he said.
That is what went through his mind while he looked at his 23andMe data.
Jason works with code, using it to control the function of computers. In a way that’s how he sees DNA working in the human body. The three billion letters that make up the human genome are also a code. That code controls the production and function of proteins in the body and makes us what we are.
“Genetics has been something that’s been really interesting to me because I view DNA like a programming language for building cells. So I find it interesting to use that complex data as a method of encoding to create a three-dimensional display.”
<h6>Seeing 23andMe Data</h6>
23andMe tests about more than half a million locations in a person’s genome. The results are used to create customized reports and they help 23andMe give individuals detailed information about their genetic ancestry. But customers can also download their raw data – all the As, Ts, Gs, and Cs that make up the different single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that 23andMe tests.
At the start, Jason and his wife were motivated to join 23andMe to trace the family’s ancestry. So Jason, his wife, and daughter all sent in their 23andMe kits at the same time. When the results started coming in Jason recognized a familiar challenge. Jason wanted to transform the data into objects that can be held, compared and appreciated. One of the fascinating aspects of 23andMe is when family members get tested they can share their results.
Jason downloaded the 23andMe reports for his family and says with a laugh, “I thought, this is a lot of data.”
<h6>Using the Data</h6>
This time, however, the data was not just numbers. It was his family’s personal genome. He wondered if he could find a way to map their DNA onto something that was not just an on-screen visualization. Again he wanted to create something that could be touched and held.
Now he is toying with imprinting his and his family’s DNA results onto vases, even overlapping the information to create a genetic portrait of his family.
“The idea is to print one of these vases from each of my family&#8217;s gnome data and compare how the differences and similarities manifest themselves visually and texturally in the physical, tangible results,” he said.
He hopes that efforts like his to visualize his and his family’s genetic data will offer people a way to see themselves as both unique and connected. He’s even made available for free as an open-source document the <a href="https://github.com/jjg/3dna" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">computer code</a> to generate a three dimensional model of your own genetic data.
23andMe provides genetic testing services for informational purposes; your results may or may not help you to search for or identify relatives or family members.

23and 3D

Not long before his grandmother died, DeSean Stokes sat with her as she shared stories of her life.
<div id="attachment_20206" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-20206" class="size-medium wp-image-20206" alt="DeSean with his grandparents Evelyn and Isham Brown." src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/DeSean_Stokes_Evelyn_Brown_Isham_Brown-300x221.jpg" width="300" height="221" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/DeSean_Stokes_Evelyn_Brown_Isham_Brown-300x221.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/DeSean_Stokes_Evelyn_Brown_Isham_Brown-768x567.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/DeSean_Stokes_Evelyn_Brown_Isham_Brown-880x649.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/DeSean_Stokes_Evelyn_Brown_Isham_Brown.jpg 1000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />DeSean with his grandparents Evelyn and Isham Brown.</div>
One of 15 children brought up in the segregated south, his grandmother, Evelyn, was the first in her family to go to college – Alabama State University, Class of 1954. She became an elementary school teacher, working for 50 years in the classroom. Evelyn was happily married to Isham Brown for 56 years and the couple raised three bright and successful kids.
When she died in early 2013, DeSean said it was the stories she told him that kept running through his mind. He wanted to know more, not just about her but where she came from and the generations that came before.
That’s where 23andMe came in.  It helped him delve into parts of his ancestry that he wouldn’t have been able to find just from the stories his grandmother told him.
“23andMe opened up even more doors to my ancestral story,” he said.
<h6>Stories Become Songs</h6>
An actor and musician, DeSean said much of his work involves telling or even inhabiting the stories of others.
“As a musician and actor, my job is to tell interesting stories,” he said.
But after his grandmother’s death, it was his own family’s story that he wanted to tell.
“There is so much history you can learn about yourself and family just from sitting down and talking with your oldest living relatives,” DeSean said.
Those conversations with his grandmother also inspired him to write a<a href="https://youtu.be/nEW9m5VGHVw"> song for Evelyn</a>.
“Music is in my DNA &#8212; I live it, breath it and feel it in everything I do,” DeSean said.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-20207" alt="DeSean_Stokes_Photo_By_Jeffrey_Hornstein" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/DeSean_Stokes_Photo_By_Jeffrey_Hornstein-256x300.jpg" width="256" height="300" />
<h6>Sharing with Evelyn</h6>
He played the music for her just before her death in early 2013. After she died he felt a need to learn more, not just about her but about her ancestors. His grandmother’s stories could only take him back so far.
An African-American, he knows the history of slavery and what that meant – mixed-ancestry and very little information about where in Africa his ancestors came. Looking at family photos he also couldn’t help but notice the different shades of color in his family. It left him wondering. He’d heard from Evelyn and his grandparents about their families, but not much more.
“They only knew the details of a couple generations before and the rest was unknown,” he said.
<h6>DNA Testing</h6>
Using DNA testing, DeSean could peer into the past that was locked away by time.
From his 23andMe results, he learned that his ancestry, was, not surprisingly, mostly from West Africa. But DeSean also learned that about a quarter of his ancestry was from Europe and included connections to the United Kingdom, Ireland, Russia, and Poland. He even found that his ancestry included Jamaican ancestry, Native American ancestry, and Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry.
Using 23andMe, DeSean has connected with newly discovered relatives from around the world.
“I am so thankful for the time I had with my grandmother,” he said. “She will always be a part of me. The freckles on my face remind me of her every time I look in the mirror.  I am thankful for everything she passed down to me.  I am also grateful to 23andMe for opening up even more doors to my ancestral story.  It is the music I&#8217;ve been longing to hear.&#8221;
23andMe provides genetic testing services for informational purposes; your results may or may not help you to search for or identify relatives or family members.

This Is My Story

As many as one-third of customers in a 23andMe survey reported some sort of side effect from a prescription or over-the-counter medication, according to data compiled by our researchers. 
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright wp-image-7843 size-medium" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/cartoon-pills-300x285.png" alt="" width="300" height="285" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/cartoon-pills-300x285.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/cartoon-pills.png 478w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /> 
The results confirm that people often experience unintended effects from medication.
Most of the time those effects are minor, but many people reported <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/impulse-control-disorder">side effects</a> severe enough to either stop taking a drug or prompt them to seek medical attention.
According to a more than decade-old study, <a href="https://www.fda.gov/drugs/developmentapprovalprocess/developmentresources/druginteractionslabeling/ucm110632.htm#ADRs:%20Prevalence%20and%20Incidence">“adverse drug reactions”</a> (also referred to as “ADRs”) are one of the leading causes of death in the U.S.
Other studies cited by the FDA indicate that more than 6 percent of hospitalizations are due to adverse drug reactions.
<h2>Surveying Customers</h2>
The survey done by 23andMe is part of ongoing research examining differences in how people react to the medication.
There are some caveats in the data and the accompanying graphic. For one, we don’t lump the drugs into classes – antibiotics, opiates, and NSAID, for example. In the case of sulfa drugs, we list Bactrim – a sulfa drug – on its own.
In part, it is because this reflects the actual responses filled in by customers. The survey included responses from 68,782 customers.
<h2>Side Effects Reported</h2>
Of those, more than 33 percent said they’d experienced side effects serious enough to either stop taking medication or that the side effects sent them to the hospital. The most commonly reported side effects were rashes, hives, nausea, vomiting, and pain. Also in the top ten were side effects such as difficulty breathing, depression, and anxiety.
Customers reported that penicillin, sulfa drugs, and codeine were most frequently reported to cause those side effects, the survey showed.
Understanding why we react differently to medication can help both patients and those prescribing medication to avoid those problems. Patient error, interactions with other drugs or supplements or allergic reactions are sometimes to blame, but genetics can also play a role.
<h2>Reaction to Opioids</h2>
At this year’s  American Society of Human Genetics meeting in Boston, a team of 23andMe scientists presented research showing a genetic association with opioid-induced vomiting.
Unlike many other pharmacogenetic studies that focus on very small cohorts, this study included more than 2,400 individuals who reported that the opioid codeine triggered vomiting. The study had about 10,000 controls, or individuals who reported no problems taking the pain medication.
Beyond the relative robustness of the study, the research is also significant in that it looked at the genetics behind moderate side effects to a prescription drug.
Rarely done in pharmacogenetic studies, moderate side effects still play a huge role in the relative effectiveness of medication because they impact whether people actually use the drug as prescribed.

23andMe Customers’ Reported Side-Effects To Drugs

<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-20183" alt="Hypetension Graphic" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Hypetension-Graphic.jpg" width="699" height="449" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Hypetension-Graphic.jpg 699w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Hypetension-Graphic-300x193.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 699px) 100vw, 699px" />For the live-updated, fully-labeled, interactive version of this infographic, <a href="http://curetogether.com/hypertension/ig/treatment-effectiveness-vs-popularity">click here</a>.
By Alex Carmichael, Co-Founder of CureTogether
As a new year starts, the effects of holiday stress may be lingering, especially for people who live with hypertension.
Some of the most popular treatments for hypertension are not necessarily the most effective, according to a new study by <a href="http://curetogether.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CureTogether</a>, a free resource owned by 23andMe that allows people to share information about their health and treatments.
<h6>Most Effective</h6>
Participants in the study said they found that some drugs – including <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisinopril" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Lisinopril</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atenolol" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Atenolol</a>, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diovan" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Diovan</a> – were the most effective. Conversely, some popular treatments such as Omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, and vitamin D, were among the least effective, according to the study.
Hypertension affects millions of Americans. Finding treatments that work well is important to improve the quality of life, so CureTogether asked people suffering from Hypertension to rate the effectiveness of different treatments.
<h6>Other Treatments</h6>
CureTogether’s study compiled responses from 577 people with hypertension, who rated the effectiveness of 23 different treatments. Among the most helpful treatments were beta-blocker and calcium channel blocker drugs. Also effective for those in the study were losing excess weight and reducing stress. The people in the study also said that limiting alcohol and smoking – both lifestyle changes –  were not as effective.
<div style="float: right; text-align: justified; width: 200px; background-color: #eee; padding: 15px; margin-left: 10px;">Most Effective Rated Treatments for People with Hypertension 
1. Lisinopril 
2. Atenolol 
3. Diovan 
4. Calcium channel blockers 
5. Norvasc 
6. Metoprolol 
7. Lose excess weight 
8. Thiazide diuretics 
9. Propranolol 
10. Healthy diet</div>
Where did this data come from?
This is the result of a four-year CureTogether study on <a href="http://curetogether.com/hypertension/symptoms/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">hypertension</a>, in which people suffering from the condition shared information about their symptoms and what treatments worked best for them. We’d like to thank those who participated. And just as they shared their experience with hypertension treatments, we’re freely and openly sharing the results of the hypertension study.
This is part of a regular series of CureTogether <a href="http://curetogether.com/blog/category/research-findings/">research findings</a>. CureTogether’s research findings are different than <a href="https://www.23andme.com/about/factoids/">those made by 23andMe</a>, which look at genetic associations with illness, traits and drug response. But as we continue our work with the CureTogether community, 23andMe hopes to incorporate more of this kind of self-reported information into our own research.
CureTogether presents its findings just as they are — patient-reported data — to stimulate discussion and generate new insights for further research.
Please tweet, blog, or pass this along to anyone who can benefit or is interested in hypertension. Thank you!

What Patients Say Works for Hypertension

Each year at this time 23andMe puts together a list of the most interesting genetic findings of 2013. We’re doing that again but with a twist.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/top10ten-266x300.jpg" alt="top10ten" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-10750" width="266" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/top10ten-266x300.jpg 266w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/top10ten.jpg 306w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 266px) 100vw, 266px" />
We want to include in our list a few things that aren’t findings or discoveries, but clearly, these stories have had a huge impact on the field of genetics. The fact that these stories made such a big splash beyond the world of science and health reporting illustrates how important genetics has become for everyone.
As far as research goes, in the last year, we’ve seen the continued rapid pace of discovery in genetic sciences. These new findings have included research into the biology of disease, mental illness and new insights into our understanding of human evolution. Researchers here at 23andMe are also a part of this push to understand not just the human story, but the biology of disease and the role genetics plays in our lives.
So let’s take a quick look back at the last year and 23andMe’s list of the Top Ten Genetic Stories of 2013.
<h6> THE ANGELINA EFFECT<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Angelina-image-196x300.jpg" alt="46th New York Film Festival &quot;Changeling&quot; Premiere - Inside Arrivals" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-20131" width="173" height="265" /></h6>
Angelina Jolie’s<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/14/opinion/my-medical-choice.html"> revelation</a> that she underwent a double prophylactic mastectomy after learning she had a mutation in the BRCA1 gene, brought genetic screening into sharp focus for everyone. In making her difficult choice, she took into consideration her family history – her mother died of ovarian cancer (also associated with BRCA1 gene mutation) and her aunt also had breast cancer   – her ancestry and her age. Going public with her story also offered comfort to many women facing similar choices.
<h6>EWWW</h6>
It probably wasn’t what Walt Whitman<a href="http://www.daypoems.net/plainpoems/1900.html"> meant</a>, but indeed we all “contain multitudes.” Our bodies are host to literally trillions of microorganisms that make up the “human microbiome,” and those organisms play a very important but not fully understood role in our health. There is also a link between the make-up of that microbiome and the genetic variation of our immune systems, which is another thing we haven’t yet fully figured out. But even without fully understanding how these all interrelate, doctors have started to use these important microorganisms to treat illnesses. Early in the year, the New England Journal of Medicine published a study that followed 16 patients who were treated for a severe gut infection with a<a href="https://www.nature.com/news/faecal-transplants-succeed-in-clinical-trial-1.12227"> fecal transplant.</a> While it might be something you’d rather not talk about over dinner, the treatment of the Clostridium difficile infection worked in 15 of the 16 patients.
<h6>FIVE MENTAL ILLNESSES SHARE A COMMON GENETIC LINK</h6>
A<a href="http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2812%2962129-1/fulltext"> study published in early 2013</a> found that five very distinct psychiatric disorders share an association with some variants in genes that control signaling in the brain. The large study looked at schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism, major depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Although these are very different conditions, the findings may help researchers better understand the underpinnings of these very different illnesses. Two of the four variants involve calcium channels, integral for signaling within the brain.
<h6 dir="ltr">NOTHING TO SNEEZE AT<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/allergy.jpg" alt="allergy" class="alignright size-full wp-image-6151" width="198" height="176" /></h6>
There’s an ongoing debate about the interplay between genetics and the environment in why there has been an apparent increase in the rate of allergies. There are many theories offered to explain this including the “<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2841828/">hygiene hypothesis</a>,” which suggests that an increasingly sanitized environment inhibits the development of the immune system.  Another theory is that increased exposure to chemicals and pollutants are the culprits. The rate of <a href="http://www.jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749%2805%2901314-X/abstract">allergies</a> has more than<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db10.htm#howdoes"> doubled over the last decade</a>.   While this increase is pointing to environmental factors, genetics is an important component.
A study done by 23andMe scientists and researchers at the University of Bristol’s<a href="http://www.bristol.ac.uk/alspac/"> Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC)</a> in the UK found <a href="https://mediacenter.23andme.com/press-releases/allergies_2013">new genetic associations for asthma and allergies</a>. It was the largest genome-wide association study ever conducted on common allergies with data from more than 53,000 people. The study showed that there are also common genetic variants underlying allergies to cats, pollen and dust mites
<h6>HUMAN GENES CAN’T BE PATENTED</h6>
Not long after Angelina’s revelation, the Supreme Court unanimously decided to bar the patenting of human genes. The case involved Myriad Genetics, which has long held patents for breast and ovarian cancer screening. What’s not so clear from the Supreme Court’s decision is what sort of impact this decision will have on research and innovation. While several companies almost immediately jumped into BRCA testing, legal challenges by Myriad to   stop those efforts quickly followed, leaving more doubt about how this will all play out.
<h6>THE WAY BACK<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/neanderthal.jpg" alt="neanderthal" class="alignright size-full wp-image-18144" width="150" height="270" /></h6>
Scientists extracted DNA from a 400,000-year-old thigh bone found buried in a Spanish cave, known as<a href="https://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature12788.html"> Sima de Los Huesos, or Pit of Bones.</a>  Apart from the big deal of extracting genetic material from a really, really old bone – the oldest human DNA recovered yet – the find also gives us more information about human evolution, namely that it’s not as linear as some have thought. The DNA in the bone resembled that of ancient humans known as Denisovan.
Because of the time frame and the location, many had thought the bones would be from Neanderthals. The Denisovan DNA was a bit of a head-scratcher. Previous finds placed Denisovans in Siberia and only at about 80,000 years ago. Clearly, this adds more nuances to the story of human evolution. We can also add more pieces to that understanding after another DNA find this year. DNA from the 24,000-year-old skeletal remains of a boy buried near Lake Baikal in Siberia, has also altered researchers&#8217; view of the migration patterns of early Europeans.
The DNA matched not just with Western Europeans but with Native Americans. This suggests that the earliest people to settle the Americas were<a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/content/342/6157/409.full"> a mix of both populations.</a> While previous research has suggested that Native Americans descended from people who migrated from Siberia, this overlap with early Europeans is new. It also suggests that during the last Ice Age, people from Europe had migrated farther east than previously thought.
<h6>ALZHEIMER’S SEQUENCE DATA – CHAPTER ONE</h6>
The more information we can collect from people with the disease, the better we can understand them. Researchers working on Alzheimer’s disease got a huge boost in their efforts this year after the first batch of genetic data was<a href="http://www.nih.gov/news/health/dec2013/nhgri-02.htm"> made available</a> as part of the<a href="https://www.niagads.org/adsp/"> Alzheimer&#8217;s Disease Sequencing Project</a>. The project, conducted by the National Institutes of Health, makes available full genome sequence data on 410 people with Alzheimer’s. The hope is that by offering this information to a wide range of researchers, it will open up the possibility of new discoveries.
<h6>SHARING DATA<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/atcg-200x200.jpg" alt="DNA code analysis" class="alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-3837" width="200" height="200" /></h6>
Hundreds of institutions worldwide are currently doing clinical and genetic research. If you could share that data and standardize how it is reported, you could make it that much more useful. That’s exactly what more than 70 medical, research and advocacy organizations did this year, the National Institutes of Health among them. They all agreed to set up a system<a href="https://www.broadinstitute.org/news/globalalliance"> to share genetic and clinical information</a>. By creating a database of genetic variation and health information, it would offer researchers, and doctors, a powerful resource for discovery.
Illustrating the power of shared data, using data from the Electronic Medical Records Genomics Network<a href="https://www.genome.gov/27540473"> (eMERGE</a>) for short – researchers have identified dozens of new variants linked to diseases ranging from skin cancer to anemia. The eMERGE data set allowed researchers to search by gene variant to find associated conditions. As the database grows it will allow researchers to discover connections between seemingly unrelated diseases and genetic variants.
The power of big datasets that include not just genetic information but also phenotypic information, is part of what 23andMe is all about. This year 23andMe researchers leverage our database and certain phenotypes to  functionally classify different genetic associations. our researchers presented some of our findings on this at the ASHG conference this year in Boston. Their findings show that on occasion, a single genetic variant will be associated with multiple different phenotypes. So for example, in autoimmune diseases, a single SNP influences multiple different diseases. Sometimes these shared associations are more surprising, such as the genetic association shared by both<a href="https://blog.23andme.com/health-traits/23andmes-latest-publication-shines-light-on-male-pattern-baldness-and-unexpected-associations-with-disease/"> Parkinson’s disease and baldness</a>. We’ve also found correlations between breast cancer and breast size, body mass index and food choice, and hair color and skin cancer.
<h6>MY, WHAT LONG TELOMERES YOU HAVE</h6>
Several papers this year indicate that genetic variants in telomere genes (such as TERT, TERC, POT1, etc.) not only influence the length of telomeres, which in turn is a good indicator of longevity, but those variants are also associated with certain cancers. Researchers in several different Genome-Wide Association Studies have found links to cancers such as multiple myeloma,<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23535731"> breast and ovarian cancer</a>, testicular cancer,<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?cmd=retrieve&#038;list_uids=23143601&#038;dopt=citation"> lung cancer,</a> and chronic<a href="https://www.nature.com/ng/journal/v45/n5/full/ng.2584.html"> lymphocytic leukemia</a>.
<h6>23ANDME AND THE FDA</h6>
It’s not the kind of news we like, but there’s no way for us to do a roundup of the year&#8217;s big stories without mentioning that the FDA in December ordered 23andMe to stop offering new consumers access to their health-related genetic tests, while the company moves through the FDA’s regulatory review process. 23andMe remains committed to being a pioneer in the genetics revolution and has made its work with the FDA its top priority.
Making it all work will be good not just for the FDA and 23andMe, but for the future of the direct-to-consumer genetic testing industry. Individuals who want to understand their genetics will win too – that’s everyone’s goal. Here’s to 2014.

This Year’s Top Ten Genetic Findings of 2013

Megan Runge has dark curly hair and the kind of smile that invites you in.
Perfect for a curious college student with a summer job scooping gelato at the beach in Florida.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-20027" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Megan-Photo-1-225x300.jpg" alt="Megan Photo 1" width="225" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Megan-Photo-1-225x300.jpg 225w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Megan-Photo-1-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Megan-Photo-1-660x880.jpg 660w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Megan-Photo-1-885x1180.jpg 885w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Megan-Photo-1.jpg 1452w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px" />
It was that same openness and curiosity that drew her to 23andMe. An adoptee, Megan didn’t know anything about her biological parents or her family history.
“I wanted to know about ME,” she said about her decision to get tested.
<h6>Using 23andMe</h6>
Megan has the kind of features that offers a hint of mystery, and for years she’d get questions about her background; questions she couldn’t answer.
Then she tested with 23andMe.
“I counted down the days until the results came in and when they did I almost cried,” said Megan. “After 19 years of not knowing anything, and then just from spitting in a tube, I have a pile of information all about me.”
<h6>Learning More</h6>
All of it was new to her. She spent hours poring over her results fascinated by both the important and seemingly trivial details.
“I learned a lot of information … which was very valuable because I really don&#8217;t know anything about my biological background,” she said.
But for Megan it was looking at her genetic ancestry that most surprised her.
“When I was younger everyone just assumed I was Hispanic,” Megan said smiling. “I assumed I had some sort of mixed ancestry, but I never knew.”
<h6>Mixed Ancestry</h6>
Now she knows that she is part Irish, part Scandinavian and part African. And she has some Native American ancestry as well.
“I thought it was so cool,” she said.
When she first got her results she was fascinated.
&#8220;I remember when I first got it I looked at it every day, multiple times a day,&#8221; Megan said. &#8220;I still look at it from time-to-time just to, I don&#8217;t know, just to see it.&#8221;
23andMe provides genetic testing services for informational purposes; your results may or may not help you to search for or identify relatives or family members.

This Is About Me

In the New Year, 23andMe will give out a gift for kids and promote literacy at the same time. We deliver 500 copies of our illustrated board book You Share Genes With Me to<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-full wp-image-20111" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/you-share-genes-with-me.jpg" alt="you-share-genes-with-me" width="222" height="221" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/you-share-genes-with-me.jpg 222w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/you-share-genes-with-me-150x150.jpg 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 222px) 100vw, 222px" />
<h2>Books for Kids</h2>
Books for Kids is a non-profit organization based in New York City. Its mission is to promote literacy among children. They focus a lot on low-income and at-risk preschool-aged children. Books for Kids creates libraries, donates books, and implements literacy programs to develop the critical early foundation and skills young children need to succeed. The organization focuses, in particular, on low-income preschool-aged children who live in homes where there are fewer than five books. The foundation wants to ensure those families have books to engage, entertain, and educate children.
The organization focuses, in particular, on low-income preschool-aged children who live in homes with fewer than five books. The foundation wants to ensure that those families have books that can engage, entertain, and educate children.
<h2>You Share Genes with Me</h2>
23andMe wants that, too, and the foundation’s commitment aligns with our broader education mission.
“It&#8217;s always been our mission to improve genetic literacy for everyone regardless of age,” said Esther Kim, Pharm. D., who heads up 23andMe’s education efforts.
In addition to the gift to Books for Kids, 23andMe also offers free books to the first 500 elementary school teachers who <a href="https://www.23andme.com/yousharegeneswithme/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">register</a>. Each teacher will get two copies of the book for their classrooms. We hope the book will help bring a greater diversity of learning levels into our academic program, which has historically focused more on high school, undergrad, and medical school programs.
<div id="attachment_20114" style="width: 271px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-20114" class="wp-image-20114 size-medium" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/book_flyer-copy21-261x300.jpg" alt="" width="261" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/book_flyer-copy21-261x300.jpg 261w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/book_flyer-copy21-768x883.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/book_flyer-copy21-891x1024.jpg 891w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/book_flyer-copy21-765x880.jpg 765w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/book_flyer-copy21-1026x1180.jpg 1026w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/book_flyer-copy21.jpg 1275w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 261px) 100vw, 261px" />A look inside the book You Share Genes With Me.</div>
“We are excited to reach out to communities we typically don&#8217;t have access to through our normal distribution channels,” said Esther. “ We hope this book can plant in children’s minds a seed of curiosity for genetics and science and help them to realize how genes connect us to all living things.”
<h2>Genetics 101</h2>
We’ve done that with our <a href="https://www.23andme.com/gen101/genes/">Genetics 101 series</a>, our work with several educational institutions, and our partnership with Udacity to produce an online genetics class. We were also involved in helping put together a genetics exhibit with the Smithsonian earlier this year. The children’s book, a sweet picture book showing kids how much DNA they share with other living things, came together, partly from all that work.
The book, illustrated by Arianna Killoran, offers a whimsical look at genetics. It’s meant to provide kids with an introduction to science by emphasizing how much DNA we share with other species and each other. Humans are about 99.5 percent similar genetically, but that little difference makes us all unique. The book discusses how humans share DNA with other species, like zebrafish, mice, and chimpanzees. While the book is not currently available for sale online, it can be purchased at the gift shops of the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., and at The Exploratorium in San Francisco.

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