Along with being uncomfortable, hemorrhoids are uncomfortable to talk about which may in part explain why little research has been done on the condition.
But a large new international study published recently identified more than 100 regions in the human genome that contribute to the<a href="https://gut.bmj.com/content/early/2021/04/22/gutjnl-2020-323868"> risk of developing hemorrhoids.</a> The research offers important insights into why some people develop the condition and others don’t.
<h6>Smooth Muscle</h6>
Using genetic data from almost one million individuals, as well as analysis of tissue samples, the researchers zeroed in on genes involved in controlling the function of “smooth muscle function.” Smooth muscles are found in the walls of organs like the intestines or stomach and work automatically.
“Our findings indicate that hemorrhoidal disease results, at least in part, from dysfunction of smooth muscle, epithelial and connective tissue,” said <a href="https://www.ikmb.uni-kiel.de/people/scientists/andre-franke">Professor Andre Franke</a> of the Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology at Kiel University, Germany. “This points to specific mechanisms in an otherwise poorly characterized common condition. (It) may lead to the development of additional non-invasive therapeutic options in the long run.”
Franke and <a href="https://www.cicbiogune.es/people/mdamato">Professor Mauro D’Amato</a> of the research institute CIC bioGUNE in Bilbao, Spain coordinated the study. The work included data from the UK Biobank and from 23andMe customers who consented to participate in research.
<h6>Common Condition</h6>
About one in 20 Americans and almost half of those over 50 have experienced the condition, <a href="https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/hemorrhoids/definition-facts">according to the NIH</a>. But hemorrhoidal disease hasn’t been well studied. Researchers remain unsure about the exact molecular mechanisms for the condition or why some people develop them and others don’t.
In this latest study, the researchers identified new genetic associations for the risk for hemorrhoids. But they also developed a risk model to calculate the likelihood of developing the condition. The use of what are called polygenic risk models. These risk models allow for the use of many hundreds, or even thousands, of genetic variants to calculate risk. Some of these models also include other factors, to improve the risk calculation. Those other factors might include such things as lifestyle and environmental influences. In this case, the researchers used only genetic data to create a risk model and then tested it in independent cohorts. Higher scores were associated with increased risk for hemorrhoidal disease. Higher scores were also associated with younger age at diagnosis, and the need for surgery. (Currently, 23andMe does not offer a report on hemorrhoidal disease.)
The risk model could ultimately help to identify people at increased risk of developing hemorrhoidal disease. This would allow them to more closely monitored and to a greater degree benefit from preventative lifestyles, according to Professor D’Amato.
You can read more about the study in the journal <a href="https://gut.bmj.com/content/early/2021/04/22/gutjnl-2020-323868">Gut</a>.

23andMe Blog

23andMe Blog Team

The Genetics of Hemorrhoids

For almost five years, Megan McCarthy didn’t celebrate Mother’s Day. She couldn’t; it was too painful. 



It reminded her of losing her mom, who passed away 13 years ago. It was all too much. But this year, and for the last three years, Megan is all in.



“It’s a full celebration again,” Megan said.



She describes her story of losing one mother only to find another with the help of 23andMe as miraculous.



“There are no words for the abundance of gratitude I feel for this marvel,” Megan said recently after sharing the story. “What child gets to feel the extraordinary love of two mothers in one lifetime? A miracle.”



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="848" height="880" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Nike-blur-848x880.jpg" alt="Megan and her birth mom Mary." class="wp-image-28855" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Nike-blur-848x880.jpg 848w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Nike-blur-289x300.jpg 289w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Nike-blur-986x1024.jpg 986w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Nike-blur-768x797.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Nike-blur-1137x1180.jpg 1137w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Nike-blur.jpg 1259w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 848px) 100vw, 848px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Megan and her birth mom, Mary, soon after meeting for the first time.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-guilt">Guilt</h2>



It was never a secret. Megan always knew she was adopted. It was something her parents shared with her early in life.



They also never let her forget how loved she was and created a family—Megan and her brother, Mike—bonded by that love. For her, it was like she’d “won the adoption lottery.”



Her mother stayed home to raise her and her brother. Her dad was an honest, hard-working role model. They offered lessons in faith, family, and love. Her parents knew she might one day be curious to learn more about her birth mother, and let her know that was OK, but that didn’t erase the guilt Megan felt about wondering about her birth mother.



Raised in the Midwest, Megan and her family would sometimes visit Chicago, and she remembers seeing women among the crowds of people on the streets and wondering. “Is that my mom?” In her head, the questions bubbled up: Who was she? What was she like? Would she embrace me if we met?



“Deep down I wanted to know her, to see her face, to have her arms around me, but something always stopped me,” Megan said.



With those feelings came the guilt.&nbsp; After all, Megan had two parents who loved her unconditionally. Wasn’t that enough?



And there was something else. Megan worried that maybe her birth mom had closed that chapter of her life. If Megan searched and found her, maybe that would just reopen the pain of having to give up a child.



“How could I do that to her when she made the decision to give me a better life than she could have provided?” Megan said. “The ultimate act of love: letting go. I made my peace with this decision but that never stopped the yearning to potentially love the woman who gave birth to me and to have her love me back.”



The one thing Megan knew was that her birth mom had been 18, and she didn’t want to reopen what might have been a traumatic moment in her birth mom’s life.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-an-instant-sister">An Instant Sister</h2>



So, Megan didn’t search. Instead, she buried her yearnings and moved on with her life.



She started her own family. Megan and her husband had a daughter.



Even a few years ago, when on the cusp of turning 50, she decided to use 23andMe, it wasn’t to connect with family. Megan was focused on her health. Being an adoptee, she didn’t know her family&#8217;s<a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-health-ancestry"> health history</a>. She wondered if there might be something in her genome she should know about.



Only after she got her reports did she become curious, and she didn’t see anything surprising in her health results. First, she realized she was less Irish and more French than she thought. And then there was this curious thing called DNA Relatives, which, like the name implies, could connect her with people with whom she shared DNA, essentially blood relatives. She opted in, but even then the significance of that didn’t quite register. The next day, she had a new “DNA Relative Match.”



She figured it was just some very, very distant cousin. “Whatever,” she thought.



But she logged in anyway.



“At the top of the matches was a half-sister,” she said.



She was stunned.



“Wow, an instant sister,” she thought as the blood drained from her face.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-is-she-alive">Is She Alive?</h2>



There are moments when she tells her story that Megan has to stop herself, and her smiling and positive demeanor cracks a bit, and the tears flow.



“It still makes me cry,” she said recalling the moments that altered her life so dramatically a few years ago.



She eventually put it down in writing.



“It’s amazing what raw emotion can do for someone’s creativity,” Megan said.



That moment when she learned that she had a half-sister, Megan felt shocked, and in a heat haze of emotion, she quickly composed a message, asking the question she’d wondered about her whole life.



&#8220;I think I’m your sister,” she said by way of introduction. “If this is too much for you, I understand. But can you tell me if our mom is still alive?&#8221;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wrapped-up-in-their-arms">Wrapped Up in Their Arms</h2>



Megan expected the answer was “No.”



She braced herself for that answer and then began to question herself. Did she say the wrong thing? Was it too soon to ask? She didn’t have to wonder too long because her half-sister, Sarah, came back with a loving response.



“She’s alive and well and living in Prescott AZ!” her sister wrote.



Not only does Megan have a half-sister, but a half-brother as well. And they both knew that they had another sister out there somewhere. Their mom had told them about Megan, and they’d all hoped one day they’d find each other. Again stunned, Megan quickly sent her sister her contact information and asked that she pass it on to their mom.



“After tapping send, I dropped my phone and fell to the ground … It was as if my bones and muscles couldn’t hold me up,” she said,



Home alone, she collapsed on the floor. Through her tears she picked up her phone and texted her husband and daughter, who were out hiking. She needed them.



Her daughter responded.



“We’re on our way now.”



When they arrived, her husband and daughter wrapped her up in their arms and the three of them cried together.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-familiar-voice">A Familiar Voice</h2>



The emotion of that day drained her to the point of exhaustion. And that night Megan fell into a deep sleep.



But in the morning, all that emotion came roaring back with the realization that her mom was still alive, and mixed in with that were a confusing set of emotions of both joy and fear, excitement and anxiety. Mixed in with all of it was confusion over what it might mean. There was nothing for her to do but wait, so Megan did what she did most days. Dropped her daughter off at school, and then went to the gym. It was there that the call came in from Prescott. She moved to a place where she had some privacy and answered her phone.



“I hear her voice and I swear it’s familiar,” Megan said. “It’s a calm, sweet, loving salve to my heart. We speak for close to an hour and a half. It’s effortless. An instant connection between mother and child.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-anxious">Anxious</h2>



Megan had questions, so many questions, but her mom had just one at first. She wanted to know about the baby girl she gave up and asked:



“Did you have a good life?”



She told her about her parents and how wonderful they both were, and her brother, and her husband and daughter. Yes, she had a good life. And then her mom asked her whether or not Megan suffered from anxiety. That question resonated immediately. It was something that Megan struggled with and she didn’t like to share. Her parents were just so solid and giving that she felt that confiding in them about her anxiety was somehow selfish. But when she told her birth mother that yes she did struggle with anxiety. She got a healing response.



&#8220;We all do too,” her mom told her.&nbsp;



“It released in me 48 years of feeling it was all my fault,” Megan said.



It was just something that ran in the family. The call was healing for Megan, and she felt it was healing for her birth mom to learn that she’d made the right decision and that her daughter was loved so strongly by her family. She felt this circle of gratitude inside her for her parents, her birth mom, and the chance to find each other after all these years.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-an-embrace">An Embrace</h2>



It was hard to hang up the phone after that first call, and each day after that, the two texted or phoned. They made plans for her mom to visit and then counted down the days.



“On the day of her arrival, my nerves are on edge,” Megan said.



Waiting at home for her arrival, she had to do something to calm herself.



“I distract myself with a run,” she said. “I make a sign to welcome her. I obsessively crunched on hard candy.”



Then, waiting with her husband and daughter on the front stoop, Megan sees a black town car approaching the corner. It’s a moment she’s imagined all her life, and goosebumps cover her body.



“I can hardly breathe, and my heart is pounding so hard that I can feel it in my toes,” she said. 



As the driver flings open the door, the two run toward each other, and they embrace in the driveway with full-throttle sobs. It was a long, long time before they let go.



“What did we do to get so lucky?” Megan said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mother-s-day">Mother’s Day</h2>



After her mom died 13 years ago, Megan simply couldn’t handle Mother’s Day. Her mom had been so amazing and loving, and she missed her deeply. It was easier to let that day pass and not think about it. It took almost five years to get over that.



She still misses her, but over the years, the pain of that loss lessened, and she had a daughter of her own. And then this miracle happened.



Since her birth mom’s visit, during which they spent a week together talking, cooking, and hiking, the two have slid seamlessly into each other’s lives. They continue to text and call and have seen each other three times. Megan has met her half-sister, whom she loves. Mother’s Day has taken on a new relevance for Megan.



“We always talk on Mother’s Day! After my amazing (adopted) mom died, I didn’t celebrate Mother’s Day for almost 5 years,” Megan said. “It was too painful. But now, since finding my birth Mom, it’s a full celebration again. “



If not for the pandemic, the family would be together this Mother’s Day, too. But it will only be a matter of time before they can visit together again, Megan said.



Among the many blessings from this whole experience, were the words Megan heard from her father, who best summed up her story.



“The two of you no longer walk with holes in your hearts,” he told her. “They are now fully healed and filled with love.”



<figure class="wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Megan McCarthy Meets Her Mom" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Z0sGhs-6fok?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>

Mother’s Day Miracle

If you&#8217;ve had trouble sleeping over the last year, you&#8217;re not alone, according to a new national sleep survey from 23andMe.
The new data indicate that another side-effect of the pandemic is that a lot of us are having more difficulty falling asleep. When we finally do, we&#8217;re waking up more at night or having COVID-related or health-related dreams, according to the online survey conducted in early March.
&#8220;The survey offers another proof point for the impact of the pandemic and the ensuing stay-at-home orders,&#8221; said Eric Rasmussen, 23andMe’s Director of Consumer Insights &amp; Product Marketing. &#8220;What we don&#8217;t know yet, but something 23andMe scientists would like to know, is how much of an impact these disruptions might have on people&#8217;s <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-health-ancestry">long-term health</a>.&#8221;

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="675" height="711" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Empty-Bed.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-17852" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Empty-Bed.jpg 675w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Empty-Bed-285x300.jpg 285w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 675px) 100vw, 675px" /></figure>
 
<h6>COVID Dreams</h6>
The sleep survey results indicate just how much the pandemic has disrupted people&#8217;s lives.
More than a quarter of those surveyed reported having trouble falling asleep. At the same time, about 23 percent of those surveyed said they were waking up more than usual. Another 19 percent of the survey respondents said they were restless through the night. One in ten of those surveyed said they either dreamed about COVID-19 or had other health-related dreams.
While not unexpected, the survey gives more data showing how the disruption to work, school, and social interactions have impacted people. Over half of the participants surveyed, 55 percent, were either furloughed, laid off, or working from home. A majority of this group said they were waking up later than they did before the pandemic — 60 percent and 64 percent, respectively. This change could be attributed to a disruption in daily routine, added stress from job loss, or the pandemic&#8217;s uncertainty.
<h6>Sleep Studies</h6>
Sleep and stress each play a role in overall health. 23andMe scientists and their collaborators have looked at several components of sleep, including <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgen.1006125">wake times</a>,<a href="https://research.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Y_Huang_ASHG18_final.pdf"> sleep apnea,</a> and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S019745802030124X?via%3Dihub">REM sleep</a>. 23andMe also offers customers throughout its services various reports on obstructive sleep apnea, sleep movement, deep sleep, and more. Each of these different sleep-related issues could affect sleep patterns and contribute to restlessness.
The data from 23andMe&#8217;s sleep survey is consistent with other published data over the last few months, indicating the pandemic&#8217;s impact on sleep. A<a href="https://nutrition.bmj.com/content/early/2021/03/03/bmjnph-2021-000228"> study published in early March</a> noted that sleep disruption and stress among healthcare workers during the pandemic is also associated with a higher risk of infection and more severe symptoms from COVID-19. But broad population-wide changes in sleep patterns are notoriously difficult to study.
<h6>Waking Later</h6>
The survey offers one way to look at those changes. But 23andMe&#8217;s research model is also uniquely able to look at sleep patterns more broadly. Over the last year, 23andMe research biostatistician, Teresa Filshtein Sonmez, Ph.D., has looked at data on activity levels and sleep among more than 130,000 consented 23andMe research participants. The sleep data is challenging to understand because our data come from smart devices rather than sleep trackers. Specifically, we know when a device becomes inactive at night, how long each device has been inactive at night, and when a device first becomes active the next morning. Device inactivity is not a direct measure of sleep but can be used to detect substantial changes in our customers’ behavior. By measuring smartphone activity and inactivity, Teresa can gauge changes in when research participants will sleep, wake up, and how long they were asleep.
According to the sleep data, people began sleeping more and waking up later immediately after the first shelter-in-place orders went into effect in March of 2020. In the beginning, people slept a lot more, 1.5 hours more each night, according to the data.

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="819" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/wake_time_plot-1024x819.png" alt="" class="wp-image-28858" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/wake_time_plot-1024x819.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/wake_time_plot-300x240.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/wake_time_plot-768x614.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/wake_time_plot-880x704.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/wake_time_plot-1180x944.png 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
 
While this wasn&#8217;t a measure of sleep quality, it does show a significant change in sleep patterns due to the pandemic. That new pattern has also changed, however. Over the course of 2020, people adjusted to new schedules, and their sleep patterns crept back to what they were like before.

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="819" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/sleep_time_plot-1024x819.png" alt="" class="wp-image-28857" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/sleep_time_plot-1024x819.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/sleep_time_plot-300x240.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/sleep_time_plot-768x614.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/sleep_time_plot-880x704.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/sleep_time_plot-1180x944.png 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
 
Sleep patterns have slowly crept back toward pre-pandemic patterns. Still, the internal 23andMe research data indicate that people continue to sleep later and get up later each day. But now, instead of sleeping an hour-and-a-half more each night, as they did right at the beginning of the pandemic, they&#8217;re sleeping an hour longer.
The data from 23andMe&#8217;s sleep survey, together with data from 23andMe&#8217;s internal research, shows how the pandemic has transformed lives. The larger question about how this may or may not impact overall health still needs to be studied. And these insights come as another disruption looms on the horizon, with many workers going back into the office or their children going back to school.

The COVID-19 Pandemic’s Impact on Sleep

We’re all about the science here at 23andMe, and that’s what makes <a href="https://www.genome.gov/dna-day">DNA Day</a> so special for us here. 
Established back in 2003, DNA Day was meant to commemorate two big milestones — the discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA in 1953; and the decoding of the human genome 50 years later. DNA Day has become more than just a day to commemorate those milestones, but also a day to educate. 
So here’s a quick primer on those two milestones.
&nbsp;

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="711" height="400" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2DNADAY.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-28852" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2DNADAY.jpg 711w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2DNADAY-300x169.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 711px) 100vw, 711px" /></figure>
 
<h6>Watson and Crick</h6>
James Watson and Francis Crick published their description of the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12667029?ordinalpos=18&#038;itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum">structure of DNA</a> on April 23, 1953, in the journal Nature. In 1962, the pair, along with Maurie Wilkins, won a Nobel prize for their work. It is still considered one of the most significant scientific contributions of the last century. 
Left out of that recognition was <a href="http://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/KR/">Rosalind Franklin</a>, whose x-ray images of DNA were critical to solving its structure. She passed away in 1958. You can learn about her career and her contributions at “<a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/photo51/">The Secret of Photo 51,</a>” which was put together for the PBS program NOVA several years ago.
&nbsp;

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="600" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/dna.png" alt="" class="wp-image-25152" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/dna.png 600w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/dna-150x150.png 150w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/dna-300x300.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/dna-271x271.png 271w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/dna-372x372.png 372w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/dna-574x574.png 574w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>
 
<h6>Human Genome Project</h6>
Over 13-years, the <a href="https://www.genome.gov/10001772">Human Genome Project</a> mustered resources from the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health with the goal of mapping the human genome. A massive team of scientists worked to identify all the more than 20,000 genes in human DNA and determine the sequence of the three billion base pairs that make up the human genome. They completed the work in 2003. 
For a much more detailed look at the history and accomplishments from the project go to the National Human Genome Institute’s <a href="https://www.genome.gov/human-genome-project">Human Genome Project</a> page, or to take a look at the data go to the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genome/guide/human/">NCBI Human Genome Resources</a> page.
<h6>23andMe</h6>
23andMe formed just three years after scientists sketched out that first rough draft of the human genome. Our mission remains to help people access, understand, and benefit from the human genome. 
Now 15 years on, 23andMe opened up personal <a href="https://www.23andme.com/stories/">discoveries</a> for millions of customers, offering consumers direct access to <a href="https://www.23andme.com/compare-dna-tests/">genetic testing</a> without the need of an intermediary. 23andMe has also become a tool for people to learn about and explore genetics and participate in important genetic <a href="https://research.23andme.com/">research</a>.
As our CEO and co-founder Anne Wojcicki once said about 23andMe:
“We’re not just a genetics company. We’re not just a health company; we’re not just ancestry; we’re all of these things. We want to tell you about you.”
Find out more <a href="https://www.23andme.com/about/">here</a>.

A image of double helix showing a variant

DNA Day 2021

For many people, sniffling, sneezing, and rubbing itchy eyes is a rite of spring.
Pollen wafting through the air from budding trees, grasses, and flowers during spring triggers allergy attacks for millions of people worldwide. <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/7/e2013284118">A recent study</a> indicated that climate change might be making the situation even worse for some due to the lengthening of the pollen season in North America.
Susceptibility to allergies — not just from pollen but also to things such as insect bites, dander from dogs and cats, or mold — is in part genetic. One&#8217;s environment also plays an important role in developing allergies. One silver lining of the last year is that mask-wearing during the pandemic appears to help lessen allergy symptoms in some, according to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7467086/">recent research </a>done in Israel.

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="678" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Sneeze-1024x678.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-26180" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Sneeze-1024x678.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Sneeze-300x198.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Sneeze-768x508.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Sneeze-880x582.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Sneeze-1180x781.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Sneeze.jpg 1259w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
 
<h6>Researching the Genetics</h6>
Allergic reactions themselves happen when a hypersensitive immune system mistakes a normally harmless substance for a harmful one. When the immune system detects these so-called allergens, it triggers an immune response meant to protect the body. Research indicates that <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16083793/">about half</a> of those living in the U.S. are sensitive to at least one common allergen. While most allergic reactions are mild, some contribute to asthma or eczema and can be very serious and even life-threatening.
23andMe scientists and our collaborators have identified many genetic variants associated with allergies over the years. We also published studies on the genetic <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-018-0157-1">pathways for allergic rhinitis</a>, genetic associations between <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ng.3985">allergies, eczema, and asthma</a>, and the age of <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgen.1008725">onset</a>. That work allows us to understand not just the underlying causes better, but also offers researchers potential new targets for treatments. 

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="264" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Dog-Cat-.001-1024x264.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-28847" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Dog-Cat-.001-1024x264.jpeg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Dog-Cat-.001-300x77.jpeg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Dog-Cat-.001-768x198.jpeg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Dog-Cat-.001-880x227.jpeg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Dog-Cat-.001.jpeg 1055w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
 
<h6>Cats and Dogs</h6>
People with allergies to dogs or cats react to the proteins found in animals’ saliva, their skin cells (also called &#8220;dander&#8221;), or urine. Those allergens trigger a response of the body&#8217;s immune system leading to sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes, and itchy skin. In some cases, people with dog or cat allergies may experience asthma symptoms, such as difficulty breathing or wheezing. For people with dog or cat allergies, lifestyle modifications and other treatments, including medications, can help ease symptoms.
It is estimated that <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5809771/">10 percent-to-20 percent of people</a> are allergic to dogs or cats worldwide.
For 23andMe customers who want to explore a little deeper into their genetic likelihood of having certain allergies, we offer <a href="https://www.23andme.com/membership">23andMe+</a>, an annual membership with 10+ exclusive reports and features delivered to you throughout the year‡.
Those reports are powered by 23andMe research and include new Wellness reports on cat allergies and on dog allergies. Both use statistical modeling that utilizes thousands of genetic variants, as well as a customer&#8217;s ethnicity and sex to estimate the likelihood of developing a dog or cat allergy.
<h6>Pets and Pollen</h6>
For those with pet allergies, preventing reactions isn&#8217;t as simple as you&#8217;d think. It&#8217;s not just about avoiding dogs and cats because pet allergens can travel easily through the air. They can stick to clothing and other surfaces, quickly spreading from place to place. In the United States, about half of households <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28694047/">own a cat or a dog</a>. Yet, studies have shown that detectable levels of pet allergens can be found in almost all homes, even ones that don&#8217;t own pets. High levels of pet allergens have also been found in public places like schools, offices, buses, and trains. To prevent reactions, experts recommend washing hands and clothes frequently.
Allergies to cats and dogs and allergies to pollens are alike in some ways. They are very similar in how they make their way into the body, what symptoms they cause, and how you treat them, for instance.
<h6>Finding Out More</h6>
Find out more about 23andMe&#8217;s Health + Ancestry Service or 23andMe+ membership <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-health-ancestry?sub=ver2&amp;cabt=nao">here</a>.
‡10+ reports and features will be added annually from January to December.

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="536" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/1200x628-2-1024x536.png" alt="" class="wp-image-28846" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/1200x628-2-1024x536.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/1200x628-2-300x157.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/1200x628-2-768x402.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/1200x628-2-880x461.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/1200x628-2-1180x618.png 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/1200x628-2.png 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>

23andMe+ new Cat and Dog Allergy report release

The Genetics of Allergies

When it comes to her health, there is no bliss in ignorance for Kelly Anderson.
&#8220;For me, I&#8217;ve always wanted to know. I&#8217;ve always wanted to know what&#8217;s happening or what&#8217;s coming, so I can plan,&#8221; Kelly said. &#8220;I&#8217;m a planner.&#8221;
It&#8217;s what made receiving 23andMe <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-health-ancestry">Health + Ancestry Service</a> for her birthday such a perfect gift, she said. It offered her a chance to explore how genetics might affect her health, she said. 
&nbsp;

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="769" height="1024" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Kelly-A-2-769x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-28844" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Kelly-A-2-769x1024.jpg 769w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Kelly-A-2-225x300.jpg 225w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Kelly-A-2-768x1022.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Kelly-A-2-661x880.jpg 661w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Kelly-A-2-887x1180.jpg 887w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Kelly-A-2.jpg 1160w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 769px) 100vw, 769px" /></figure>
 
<h6>Wanting to Know </h6>
Kelly&#8217;s reports indicated that she had genetic variants that put her at a slightly increased risk for age-related macular degeneration (AMD).* AMD is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss in older adults. The disease causes damage to the central part of the retina, or the macula, impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces.
23andMe&#8217;s report looks at two of the most common variants associated with increased risk for AMD. Kelly learned she had two copies of one of those variants.
&#8220;After I saw my report, I began reading more … and talking to my family,&#8221; she said.
<h6>Being Diligent</h6>
Kelly learned of a few relatives who had AMD. During her next check-up, she talked to her doctor, who suggested she discuss it in more depth with her optometrist. When she met with her optometrist, he told her it was good to know about this kind of risk early. 
&#8220;He added the information to my eye chart,&#8221; she said.
Her optometrist told her that he will regularly check for any early signs and symptoms. 
&#8220;I also plan to continue reading up on discoveries about AMD so I can remain informed,&#8221; she said.
For Kelly learning about the risk and then being able to act upon that information felt empowering. Giving her a clear-eyed view on managing her health. She plans to keep reading up on AMD and to be diligent about her annual check-ups.
&#8220;If there&#8217;s something I can do … I want to know,&#8221; she said. 
<hr />
*The 23andMe PGS test uses qualitative genotyping to detect select clinically relevant variants in the genomic DNA of adults from saliva for the purpose of reporting and interpreting genetic health risks. It is not intended to diagnose any disease. Your ethnicity may affect the relevance of each report and how your genetic health risk results are interpreted. Each genetic health risk report describes if a person has variants associated with a higher risk of developing a disease, but does not describe a person&#8217;s overall risk of developing the disease. The test is not intended to tell you anything about your current state of health, or to be used to make medical decisions, including whether or not you should take a medication, how much of a medication you should take, or determine any treatment. The Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) genetic health risk report is indicated for reporting of the Y402H variant in the CFH gene, and the A69S in the ARMS2 gene and describes if a person has variants associated with an increased risk of developing AMD. The variants included in this report are common in many ethnicities but are best studied in people of European descent.

Clear-Eyed About A Risk for AMD

April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month. It also marks the 12th anniversary of 23andMe’s groundbreaking Parkinson’s Research community, which is now the largest <a href="https://www.23andme.com/research/">genetic research</a> cohort for Parkinson’s disease in the world.
But the power of that research engine wouldn’t be possible without Anne Bossman and thousands of other people like her who have consented to participate in 23andMe research. Anne, a 62-year-old personal trainer living in Colorado, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s two and a half years ago.
<div id="attachment_28836" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-28836" class="wp-image-28836 size-medium" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IMG_5405-300x300.jpg" alt="A photo of Anne Bossman near her home in Colorado." width="300" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IMG_5405-300x300.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IMG_5405-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IMG_5405-150x150.jpg 150w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IMG_5405-768x768.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IMG_5405-880x880.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IMG_5405-1180x1180.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IMG_5405-271x271.jpg 271w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IMG_5405-372x372.jpg 372w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IMG_5405-574x574.jpg 574w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IMG_5405-980x980.jpg 980w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IMG_5405.jpg 1705w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Anne Bossman near her home in Colorado. </div>
<h2>Participating in Research</h2>
It hit her hard.
“After my diagnosis, I cried,” she said.
But it wasn’t for long.
“I knew Parkinson’s was not going anywhere, and the sooner I accepted this and plowed forward, the sooner I could have good days,” Anne said.
First, she learned as much as she could about the disease. She used the vast resources of the Michael J. Fox Foundation, and then she was introduced to 23andMe and joined our Parkinson’s Research community.
“I was very happy for the opportunity to participate,” Anne said.
Her participation and the participation of thousands of others in 23andMe’s Parkinson’s Research community have helped fuel insights published in 17 papers, <a href="https://research.23andme.com/publications/#publications">four of them</a> last year alone. That research has always been about using genetic insights to search for better ways to diagnose and treat Parkinson’s disease and possibly make discoveries that could help lead to a cure.
<h2>Staying Active</h2>
For Anne, the most important thing is to stay active.
“(Parkinson’s disease) is known but not understood by almost everybody until it touches their lives directly,” Anne said.
Being active is vital for Anne, and she feels fortunate to have always been an athlete and outdoorsy. Her symptoms include stiffness, but she can overcome some of that by keeping moving, exercising, riding horses, balancing exercise, and lifting weights.
“I feel better the more exercise I get,” Anne said.
She hopes to be able to show others a way through her example.
“It’s not how often I get down,” she said. “But how quickly I can pick myself back up.”
You can learn more about 23andMe’s Parkinson’s Research program <a href="https://www.23andme.com/pd/">here</a> or view another 23andMe Parkinson’s research participant <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1gjNUzABAY">Claudia’s story</a> about participating in the program.

Raising Awareness of Parkinson’s Disease

It’s not a superpower, but the genetics behind being what some call a “supertaster” might make for a pretty good argument against eating your broccoli.
Supertasters have the good fortune, or misfortune, of having highly refined taste receptors. And that discerning palate is genetic.<code style="display: none;"></code><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-19352" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Tasting-Photo-238x300.jpg" alt="A woman tasting from a spoon." width="238" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Tasting-Photo-238x300.jpg 238w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Tasting-Photo.jpg 617w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 238px) 100vw, 238px" />
<h2>Technicolor Taste</h2>
Supertasters, who make up about a quarter of the population, live in a kind of high-definition technicolor world of taste. For most of the rest of us, it&#8217;s a more monochrome world of flavors. That can be both a good and a bad thing. Supertasters’ refined palate means that they have a heightened bitter taste perception, for instance. Their heightened tastes make salty foods seem saltier, and sweet foods sweeter.
There are a few things going on.
For one, studies have shown that supertasters actually have more fungiform papillae. These are the mushroom-shaped projections on which our taste buds lay. On those taste buds are receptors that specialize in detecting five basic tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami, a savory, meat-like taste. Scientists think some people may be unable to detect certain chemicals based on what taste receptors they have.
<h2>Bitter Taste</h2>
Along with more taste receptors crowded onto their tongues, genetics is at play. Supertasters also tend to have a variant in the<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18209019/"> TAS2R38 gene</a> that enables them to perceive the bitterness of the chemical called &#8220;PTC.&#8221; PTC isn&#8217;t usually found in the human diet, but it is similar to chemicals present in vegetables like broccoli and brussels sprouts.
23andMe’s Bitter Taste trait report looks at a customer’s likelihood of tasting bitterness.
A small study published several years ago in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition looked specifically at individuals who were called “moderate tasters.” Scientists looked at how the expression of their TAS2R38 genes related to their perceptions of bitterness. Bitter taste perception correlated with the amount of TAS2R38 gene expressed in the subjects’ taste buds, according to the research. The gene expression also correlated with self-reported caffeine consumption, though not as strongly.
For the quarter of people who are supertasters, a coffee, or an IPA beer might be harshly bitter. But about a third of the population who have very low taste perception, may not notice any bitterness at all. Most of the rest of us fall somewhere in between. Such stark differences in how we perceive taste are programmed into our DNA.
<h2>Learn More</h2>
23andMe customers can find their Bitter Taste trait report. Not yet a customer? Find out more<a href="https://www.23andme.com/compare-dna-tests/?sub=ver2&amp;cabt=nao"> here</a>.

Tasty Genetics of a Supertaster

Myriam Raber, a dentist in northeastern Ohio, is often mistaken for what she is not.



“I let people label me sometimes,” Myriam said. “I go the hospital, and they look at my husband or my kids and then me and, without asking, they check ‘white.&#8217;”



An immigrant from Haiti, Myriam often butts up against the labels used in the US.&nbsp;



“I don’t feel like I have to fit in any one box,” Myriam said. “I think there are more and more people like me, and there will be even more people like me in the future.”



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="267" height="300" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Myriam-head-shot-267x300-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-33678" style="aspect-ratio:1;width:375px;height:auto"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Dr. Myriam Raber, DDS</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-your-ancestry-and-your-health">Your Ancestry and Your Health</h2>



But Myriam also knows that there is a difference between how you culturally identify and what your genetics might say, and that difference could impact your health.



“I know what I am culturally — I’m Haitian,” Myriam said. “But genetically, I’m just a mix; I’m a Caribbean mix.”



While she isn’t bothered by being mistaken for being white, or Hispanic, or Jewish, she understands that, at least in medicine, it’s essential to know a person’s ethnicity. A person’s ethnicity plays a role in their risk for certain conditions or how they respond to certain medications.



Knowing about these differences is also the reason why she is participating in 23andMe’s research. Improving the diversity of research participants will help scientists learn new insights into conditions that affect people with African ancestry or mixed African and European ancestry, like Myriam.



“Obviously, I’m in healthcare, and I believe the future of healthcare is in DNA,” she said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-covid-19-s-uneven-impact">COVID-19’s Uneven Impact</h2>



Everybody responds a little differently to medicines or illness. Myriam believes that a person’s genetics — along with things like their diet and exercise — holds the key for researchers trying to better understand those differences.&nbsp;



The impact of COVID-19 offers perhaps the most vivid example of that, Myriam said. African Americans and Latinos are more likely to be hospitalized or die from the virus when compared to white patients. Poverty and access to adequate healthcare may explain some of it, but not all.



“I believe it’s probably in the DNA, and that’s the same for cancer or anything really,” Myriam said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-people-like-me">People Like Me</h2>



In dentistry, she has seen issues created by the lack of research among people of non-European ancestry. For example, during a lecture on tooth development when she was in dental school, the instructor told a class about when different teeth came into the mouth.&nbsp;



“Well, I knew that for a Haitian child, that tooth often comes in a whole two to four years earlier,” Myriam said. “This (data from the instructor) was more relevant for a white child from the midwest than a black child in Haiti. This has had serious consequences for many. I know it affected how Haitian children were being classified and processed by the United States immigration services.”



There were other examples, whether the timing for puberty or some medications were more or less effective depending on a person’s ethnicity. Myriam knew that the science was often incomplete for those with African ancestry, for instance, because those populations weren’t included in the research.



“So basically, there were no good studies for people like me,” she said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-participating-in-research">Participating in Research</h2>



In 2018 researchers found that about&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(19)30231-4">78 percent of genome-wide association studies</a>&nbsp;were done in European populations alone. That means that these studies’ findings are often not as relevant for people of African or Asian or Latino or Indigenous&nbsp;<a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-ancestry">ancestry</a>. Leaving those populations out of research also impedes a fuller understanding of the genetic architecture of disease.



For Myriam, it just makes sense to improve the diversity of research participants.



“As a mixed-race healthcare professional, I believe that medicine will rely heavily on genetics for custom-made preventive and curative programs,” she said. “Traditional research used to lump people into racial groups with minorities being underrepresented.”



For Myriam, changing that by participating in research may open up genetic discoveries that have the potential to benefit everyone and perhaps instill the same sense of wonder at the uncovered insights.

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