The end of 2019 capped a decade of innovation in genetic research at 23andMe.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Data-Viz-300x169.jpg" alt="" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-25916" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Data-Viz-300x169.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Data-Viz-768x432.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Data-Viz-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Data-Viz-880x495.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Data-Viz-1180x663.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Data-Viz.jpg 1366w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Over the last ten years, 23andMe researchers have completed or collaborated on more than 150 published studies. The pace of that discovery, and the breadth of our research, has only grown over time. 
In the last year alone, 23andMe scientists have published more than 20 papers. These have covered a wide range of topics, including the genetics of certain <a href="https://www.cell.com/ajhg/fulltext/S0002-9297(19)30356-8">rare genetic conditions</a>, of <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/365/6456/eaat7693.editor-summary">same-sex sexual behavior</a>, of BMI and <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/365/6456/eaat7693.editor-summary">breast cancer</a>, and even gauging the attitudes and knowledge of <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4426/9/2/29">primary care physicians</a> on direct-to-consumer genetic testing.
In the last year, 23andMe has also undertaken some new and exciting collaborations that promise to incorporate new types of data into research.
We want to share with you some of that work with you. So here&#8217;s a look back at some of the research efforts and papers that stood out over the last year. 
<h6>Ongoing Collaborations</h6>
Early on, we understood the power of 23andMe&#8217;s research model and what has become the most significant database of its kind in the world. To maximize the potential of this great resource, we established our <a href="https://research.23andme.com/research-innovation-collaborations/">Research Innovations Collaboration Program</a>. This ensures that other qualified researchers will be able to use this aggregated de-identified information for important studies and enhance the impact of 23andMe&#8217;s research data.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ear-300x199.jpg" alt="" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-27849" width="300" height="199" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ear-300x199.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ear.jpg 425w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Among the projects we&#8217;re currently working on is one with Brigham and Women&#8217;s Hospital and the <a href="https://www.hearxgroup.com/blog/HEARX-GROUP-AND-23ANDME-LAUNCH-COLLABORATION-TO-STUDY-HEARING-LOSS.html">hearX Group</a>, a collaboration we launched late last year to study hearing loss using innovative online tools. Using an online hearing test and a survey specific to the study, 23andMe was able to recruit more than 100,000 to participate in the study quickly.
By combining an online test with a dedicated survey, this work is on track to become by far the most extensive genetic research of hearing loss ever. 
Working with the <a href="https://www.med.unc.edu/pgc/">Psychiatric Genomics Consortium</a> (PGC), 23andMe has expanded its study of major depressive disorder to include not just Europeans, but African Americans, Latinos, East Asians, South Asians, and people of Middle Eastern descent. This data will be used in combination with other data by the PGC as part of what is expected to be the largest multi-ethnic study of the genetics of depression. It&#8217;s a significant effort to ensure the genetic research is representative of diverse populations. 
<h6> Some Published Work<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/blog-post-2-300x157.png" alt="" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-27139" width="300" height="157" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/blog-post-2-300x157.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/blog-post-2-768x402.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/blog-post-2-1024x536.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/blog-post-2-880x461.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/blog-post-2-1180x618.png 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/blog-post-2.png 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></h6>
Of all the work we did this year, our collaboration with a team of international researchers on <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/365/6456/eaat7693">same-sex sexual behavior</a> garnered the <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/massive-study-finds-no-single-genetic-cause-of-same-sex-sexual-behavior/">most attention</a>. While the paper offered some fascinating insights into the genetics around human sexual behavior, it also illustrated the power of 23andMe&#8217;s research model. For one, the amount of phenotypic and genetic data can power studies into a complex trait like this, but it also enables the studying of sensitive and important topics. For another view, take a moment and read <a href="http://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/the-natural-diversity-of-human-sexuality/">a perspective by Emily Drabant Conley</a>, Ph.D. Emily, 23andMe&#8217;s vice president for business development and a former research scientist, on how this research adds to our general understanding of the human condition. 
Another highlight this year was the work conducted by a former 23andMe intern Priyanka (Priya) Nakka, on the rare genetic phenomenon known as <a href="https://www.cell.com/ajhg/fulltext/S0002-9297(19)30356-8">uniparental disomy</a>. This fascinating research offered the first estimate of the frequency of this condition in the general population — it happens more than we thought. And suggest, surprisingly, that individuals with this condition can live perfectly healthy lives. Beyond all that, Priya&#8217;s work offers up another example of the kind of study that likely could not have been done if not for the scale of  23andMe&#8217;s research database. Find out more about the study in this <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/10/when-you-have-more-dna-one-parent-other/599812/">Atlantic article</a>, or on our <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/first-estimates-for-uniparental-disomy-a-rare-genetic-phenomenon/">blog</a>.
<h6>Other Initiatives</h6>
There is so much more we could highlight, but instead of just one thing, we&#8217;d like to point to our efforts to improve diversity in genetic research. This is a long-term commitment that, over the years, has included 23andMe&#8217;s initiatives like<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/GGP-face-asset-1-300x300.png" alt="" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-27481" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/GGP-face-asset-1-300x300.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/GGP-face-asset-1-150x150.png 150w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/GGP-face-asset-1-768x768.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/GGP-face-asset-1-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/GGP-face-asset-1-880x880.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/GGP-face-asset-1-271x271.png 271w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/GGP-face-asset-1-372x372.png 372w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/GGP-face-asset-1-574x574.png 574w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/GGP-face-asset-1-980x980.png 980w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/GGP-face-asset-1.png 1080w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
The de-identified data from the African American Sequencing Project has been made available through the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/">National Center for Biotechnology Information&#8217;s</a> database of Genotypes and Phenotypes (dbGaP). Now other qualified and vetted genetic researchers at educational and research institutions around the world will have access to this panel of data to improve the accuracy of their health-related genetic research on people of African American and African descent.
The work doesn&#8217;t end there, of course. But it shows our commitment to ensure that everyone ultimately will benefit from the breakthroughs in this genomic age in which we are living. You can read more about this in a <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2019/03/06/lack-diversity-hinders-genetic-studies/">perspective</a> by Joyce Tung, our vice president of research, from early in the year.
&nbsp;

23andMe Blog

23andMe Blog Team

23andMe Research Highlights from 2019

By Samantha Ancona Esselmann, PhD, product scientist at 23andMe
(Warning: This story contains Star Wars spoilers.)
Hopeless romantics, myself included, wait with bated breath for the final installment of the nine-episode-long saga of the rise and fall (and rise again) of the Skywalker dynasty. It’s not because we care what happens to the Resistance or to the First Order or even what happens to some of our favorite supporting characters. (But if Chewbacca dies, I walk.)
No, we’re really here for “Reylo.”
A portmanteau for the ages, “Reylo” combines “Rey” — the name of the Resistance’s scrappy heroine — with “Kylo” Ren, aka Ben Solo, the troubled space boi who kills his dad. Star Wars episodes seven and eight tease a possible romantic connection between the two characters. Sparks fly during a series of intimate Force-chats, which we later discover were orchestrated by Kylo’s boss, Snoke.
Some fans love to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shipping_(fandom)">ship</a> “Reylo,” while others love to hate it. With Episode 9 just around the corner, long-dormant “Reylo” Reddit threads, fanfic forums, and Twitter memes are waking up, and I’m reminded that many of us are pondering the same question that’s at the heart of Episodes 7–9: <a href="https://www.insider.com/star-wars-who-is-rey-2017-10">Are Rey and Kylo related</a>?
Kylo Ren is the son of Leia Organa. Luke Skywalker’s sister, while Rey’s mysterious parentage and her natural aptitude with the Force hint at familial ties to the Skywalker dynasty. (What’s her<a href="http://www.theforce.net/midichlorians/midi-what.asp"> midichlorian</a> count, anyway?)
So, what if — <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/star-wars-who-is-rey-2015-12?_ga=2.198873263.1693058217.1575339381-874396559.1575339381">as many hypothesize</a> — Rey is actually Luke Skywalker’s daughter, secreted away on a remote desert planet.

<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-27820 size-full" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Relyo-Family-Tree.png" alt="An illustration showing Kylo's and Rey's intersecting family tree" width="831" height="831" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Relyo-Family-Tree.png 831w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Relyo-Family-Tree-150x150.png 150w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Relyo-Family-Tree-300x300.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Relyo-Family-Tree-768x768.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Relyo-Family-Tree-271x271.png 271w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Relyo-Family-Tree-372x372.png 372w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Relyo-Family-Tree-574x574.png 574w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 831px) 100vw, 831px" />
This would make Rey and Kylo first cousins. If Rey and Kylo are cousins, and if they were to have children together, their children would only have six great-grandparents, instead of the expected eight. There would be a closed-loop in their recent family tree.
So, is that… bad?
Well, acknowledging that cousin marriages are common and <a href="https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-many-americans-are-married-to-their-cousins/">often encouraged</a> in <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/107/suppl_1/1779.full">many parts of the world</a>, we can answer this question with science!
<h6>Inbreeding: the background</h6>
Inbreeding is when two closely related individuals, who inherited some identical segments of DNA from the same ancestor(s), have children. The term genetic counselors typically use for inbreeding is “consanguinity,” which means “of the same blood” and is pronounced “con-san-gwinity.”
The degree of relationship between the two individuals matters a lot. Children of parents who are brother and sister are more consanguineous (“con-sang-win-us”) than the children of two people who are first cousins. For similar reasons, consanguinity within the same family over multiple generations increases the risk for hereditary disorders more than one isolated instance of a consanguineous union in a family tree.
Everyone’s family tree is full of these “closed loops,” but they’re usually much bigger loops than those typically associated with consanguinity.
How do we know that?
As we look further and further back in our family trees, the number of ancestors in a given generation grows exponentially. We have four grandparents, eight great-grandparents, and over 1,000 10th great-grandparents. Following this logic back, we’d have more than a trillion ancestors just 40 generations ago. But that’s more than 10 times the number of humans to have ever lived — i.e. it’s impossible. No matter how you slice or dice it, the numbers just don’t add up the way we’d expect, and it’s because of a phenomenon called “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedigree_collapse">pedigree collapse</a>.”
If you go far enough back in time, your family tree is collapsing in on itself over and over again. Many of your ancestors will show up on multiple branches in your family tree, forming “loops.”
<h6>What does evidence of recent inbreeding look like in someone’s DNA?</h6>
People inherit 23 pairs of chromosomes: one set from mom and one from dad. Therefore, we generally have two copies of every chromosome&#8230;two copies of every gene, and so on. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright wp-image-27821 size-medium" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Recombination-300x258.png" alt="A family tree showing the genetic recombination within each generation" width="300" height="258" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Recombination-300x258.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Recombination-768x661.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Recombination-880x757.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Recombination.png 958w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
This comes in handy when one of the copies is broken. It’s also why humans reproduce by having sex. The ability to mix and match slightly different versions of the same genes through genetic recombination helps human populations adapt to new environments and protects us against disease.
For the most part, the DNA in both copies is the same, differing at only a handful of spots.
A stretch of completely matching DNA on both copies of a chromosome is called “homozygous,” meaning “same gene,” while a stretch of DNA with a few differences between the copies is called “heterozygous” (meaning “different gene”).
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright wp-image-27823 size-medium" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/homohetero2-300x183.png" alt="An image illustrating the difference between homozygous versus heterozygous DNA" width="300" height="183" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/homohetero2-300x183.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/homohetero2-768x468.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/homohetero2.png 863w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /> 
And, if there’s evidence of consanguinity in your recent family history, you are more likely to have stretches of homozygous (identical) DNA than someone who does not.
<h6>So how can we measure consanguinity?</h6>
To quantify consanguinity, scientists look at how much of someone’s DNA is predicted to be completely identical based on their family tree.
It’s called the coefficient of inbreeding, and it’s a fairly simple calculation that outputs a score between 0 and 1, where 0 is good and 1 is, well, bad.
In basic terms, someone’s coefficient of inbreeding is half of the degree of relationship between their parents, where the parents’ relationship degree is also measured in a range from 0 – 1, based on how much DNA they share. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright wp-image-27822 size-medium" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Inbreeding-Coefficient-300x164.png" alt="A chart with relationship degrees and offspring coefficients for each close relative" width="300" height="164" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Inbreeding-Coefficient-300x164.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Inbreeding-Coefficient-768x419.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Inbreeding-Coefficient-271x149.png 271w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Inbreeding-Coefficient-372x204.png 372w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Inbreeding-Coefficient-574x315.png 574w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Inbreeding-Coefficient.png 833w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
If the parents are completely identical clones of each other, then their relationship degree is 1, and the offspring’s inbreeding coefficient would be half that, or 0.5. (This basically means that on average, 50 percent of the offspring’s DNA would be homozygous.)
But, in real life, humans can’t mate with their clones. (Although, all bets are off in the Star Wars universe.)
So, what about Kylo and Rey — possible Skywalker cousins?
First cousins share an average of 12.5 percent of their DNA. If first cousins, Kylo and Rey, had a child, that child would have an inbreeding coefficient of 0.0625 (0.125/2) This means that roughly 6.25 percent of their child’s DNA would be made up of identical copies from parents Kylo and Rey (which they inherited from their grandparents, Padmé and Anakin).
Turns out, an inbreeding coefficient of 0.0625 is quite low, at least compared to some individuals in highly inbred families, such as the Spanish Habsburg. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright wp-image-27824 size-medium" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Habsburgs-236x300.png" alt="An portrait of one of the Habsburgs with their distinctive chin" width="236" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Habsburgs-236x300.png 236w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Habsburgs-768x974.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Habsburgs-807x1024.png 807w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Habsburgs-694x880.png 694w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Habsburgs-930x1180.png 930w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Habsburgs.png 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 236px) 100vw, 236px" />
The <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/ancestry/the-end-of-a-dynasty-how-inbreeding-doomed-the-house-of-habsburg/">Habsburg monarch</a> estimated to be the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3716267/">most inbred</a> was the 17th-century Spanish King, Charles II, whose inbreeding coefficient was estimated to be more than 0.25.
But even for an inbred family like the Habsburg, it only takes one generation of having children with somebody genetically unrelated to reset the proverbial consanguinity meter in any children resulting from that union.
<h6>So where does that leave us with Reylo?</h6>
Assuming Rey is a secret Skywalker (and assuming DNA works the same way in the Star Wars universe), “Reylo” would <a href="https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-many-americans-are-married-to-their-cousins/">not be all that unusual</a>. Any children they may have together would only be at slightly higher risk for congenital abnormalities compared to children of non-consanguineous unions. According to a 2002 report published by the National Society of Genetic Counselors (the NSGC):
“Romantic relationships between cousins are not infrequent in the United States and Canada, and these unions are preferred marriages in many parts of the world. The offspring of first-cousin unions are estimated to have about a 1.7– 2.8 percent increased risk for congenital defects above the population background risk.”
<div id="attachment_27825" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-27825" class="wp-image-27825 size-large" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Estimates-of-Risk-1024x463.png" alt="" width="1024" height="463" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Estimates-of-Risk-1024x463.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Estimates-of-Risk-300x136.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Estimates-of-Risk-768x347.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Estimates-of-Risk-880x398.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Estimates-of-Risk.png 1128w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Table excerpt from “Genetic Counseling and Screening of Consanguineous Couples and Their Offspring: Recommendations of the National Society of Genetic Counselors” (2002).</div>
The report’s authors also emphasize:
“There is a great deal of stigma associated with cousin unions in the United States and Canada that has little biological basis&#8230;Health providers should provide supportive counseling to these families and respect cultural belief systems. The psychosocial issues for genetic counseling in the case of a cousin union are very different from those for an incestuous union.”
So that’s it for Science vs. Star Wars. We’ll probably learn more about Rey’s ancestry in <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2527338/">The Rise of Skywalker</a>. Odds are, Kylo and Rey are <a href="https://www.fandom.com/articles/rey-kylo-ren-relationship-star-wars-the-last-jedi">unrelated</a>, anyway.
If you’ve discovered evidence of unexpected relationships in your family tree, our customer care team has created a resource for you <a href="https://you.23andme.com/public/unexpected-relationships">here</a>. A version of this story can be viewed <a href="https://medium.com/swlh/why-a-kylo-rey-romance-might-be-okay-even-if-theyre-cousins-8cc4b569f406">here</a>, on <a href="https://medium.com/swlh">The Startup</a>.

Samantha Ancona Esselmann

Star Wars,“Reylo” and the inbreeding coefficient

A new study is offering a glimpse of the genetic influences on retinal detachment, a common but serious condition that left untreated lead to damaged vision or blindness.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/browneyesblog-300x223.jpg" alt="" class="alignright wp-image-9969 size-medium" title="Retinal Detachment" width="300" height="223" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/browneyesblog-300x223.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/browneyesblog.jpg 350w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Often triggered by trauma or blow to the eye, several studies have shown that there is also a genetic component that may make some people more prone to retinal detachment than others. A clear indication of that is that retinal detachment runs in families. But up until now, genetic studies have been hampered by their small size.
<h6>Big Data</h6>
That changed this month after researchers from the University of Edinburgh completed the most extensive genetic study of retinal detachment to date. The study — leveraging data from the UK Biobank — identified variants in 11 genes associated with the condition. 
As part of the study, the researchers then used data from 23andMe customers who consented to participate in research to replicate their findings and were able to do so for six of the 11 variants they identified. Two were in genes or gene regions that have never been involved in eye disorders, the others have been previously associated with neural retina thickness, myopia, and glaucoma.
“This genetic approach signposts molecular events leading to a detached retina and shared risks between some eye conditions,” said Veronique Vitart, Ph.D. of the Institute of Genetics at the University of Edinburgh, and the lead author of the study.
<h6>More Work Needed</h6>
But more work is still needed to determine how these different associations impact the risk for the condition.
“Myopia is a well-known risk factor for retinal detachment but not all myopia risk variants are predisposing to retinal detachment. With increasing genetic findings, it may be possible in the future to devise genetic risk score allowing to identify most at-risk individuals at an early stage” Dr. Vitart said.
The study, published in the journal <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/hmg/ddz294">Human Molecular Genetics</a>, included data from almost 6,000 with some form of retinal detachment who were either UK Biobank participants or had been specifically recruited in clinics across the UK. Those latter were certified by clinicians to have the most common type of retinal detachment, called rhegmatogenous. In the UK Biobank, there were medical records that allowed researchers to indicate the type of retinal detachment. 
The researchers then replicated six of the genetic associations they found in a cohort with almost 10,000 23andMe customers who self-reported to have had a retinal detachment and consented to participate in research. 
<h6>Types of Retinal Detachment</h6>
There are <a href="https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-diseases/retinal-detachment">three types of retinal detachment.</a> But in each, the retina is pushed away from the back of the eye. 
The most common type arises following a tear or hole in the retina. This, in turn, allows vitreous fluid to get behind the retina, pushing it away from the back of the eye. A less common type of retinal detachment is called tractional, which is caused by traction from scared tissues on the retina surface, due most commonly to diabetes. This too can push the retina away from the back. Finally, the third, rare, type is called exudative, and characterized by fluid build-up behind the retina with no retinal tear. It is caused by diverse, usually inflammatory, conditions. 
Fortunately, retinal detachment is treatable. If caught early treatment is successful in nine out of 10 people, according to the National Institutes of Health.
To learn more about his study, go to the journal of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/hmg/ddz294">Human Molecular Genetics</a>.
&nbsp;

The Genetic Influence on Retinal Detachment

By Jessica Algazi
Last year was a rough one for me: four surgeries in six months, a raft of doctors’ appointments, and getting poked and prodded by the very best of medical professionals.
<div id="attachment_27794" style="width: 275px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-27794" class="wp-image-27794 size-medium" alt="" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/MVIMG_20191018_110147-1-e1575486982952-265x300.jpg" width="265" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/MVIMG_20191018_110147-1-e1575486982952-265x300.jpg 265w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/MVIMG_20191018_110147-1-e1575486982952-768x871.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/MVIMG_20191018_110147-1-e1575486982952-903x1024.jpg 903w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/MVIMG_20191018_110147-1-e1575486982952-776x880.jpg 776w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/MVIMG_20191018_110147-1-e1575486982952-1041x1180.jpg 1041w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/MVIMG_20191018_110147-1-e1575486982952.jpg 1427w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 265px) 100vw, 265px" />Jessica, left, with 23andMe&#8217;s CEO and co-founder Anne Wojcicki. </div>
Yet I feel lucky, grateful even. 
I feel like I dodged a bullet. I&#8217;d been walking around for 53 years, unaware that I carry a<a href="https://www.23andme.com/brca/"> BRCA1</a> mutation putting me at a substantially increased genetic risk for breast and ovarian cancer. 
I only found out by chance. On a lark, I decided to do consumer genetic testing with 23andMe. I thought I&#8217;d find some cousins, but what I found out may have saved my life.
<h6> Why I&#8217;m Writing This </h6>
I don’t say that lightly. I recently lost a very close friend to ovarian cancer. I know what an unchecked risk for cancer might have meant for me, and it sends a shiver down my spine. 
Yet my sense of relief turns to dread thinking of how many others are out there who don’t know, or may never know, about their own risk until it’s too late.  
That is why I’m writing this now. 
<h6>Slipping through the Cracks</h6>
I’ve read a lot of criticism about delivering this kind of information directly to consumers. But the critics often miss the point and the very real experience of people like me. 
Like me, there are many women who have<a href="https://blogs.plos.org/dnascience/2019/10/17/breast-cancer-genetic-testing-for-all-women/"> slipped through the cracks</a> of our current medical screening system, either because they don&#8217;t have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer. Or they do not know that they have Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry. In my case, even though I know I have Ashkenazi ancestry, that wasn’t enough to prompt my doctor to consider screening. So there are many women walking around with this risk, who, like me, would have never known of their own risk but for this<a href="https://www.bustle.com/p/i-did-a-random-dna-test-to-learn-about-my-ancestry-then-i-found-out-i-was-brca-positive-9723470"> test from 23andMe</a>.  
<h6>23andMe&#8217;s BRCA1/BRCA2 (Selected Variants) Report* </h6>
The test is not perfect. It&#8217;s not a breast cancer screen, and it only reports on three of the more than one thousand BRCA variants associated with higher risk. But it alerted me to a risk I wouldn’t have known of otherwise. I learned that the variant I carry puts me at a 45-85 percent risk for developing breast cancer, and conveys up to 46 percent risk for developing ovarian cancer.  
If it were you, or your daughter, your mom, your best friend, wouldn’t you want them to know this information so they could do something about it? 
I know that for me, learning this allowed me to work with my doctors to take action and lower my risk. That’s why seeing others minimizing or even denying the value of this test — even with its limitations — feels so misguided. 
I want as many people as possible to have access to this kind of information and have the same good fortune I had. 
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Jessica Algazi is an in-house entertainment attorney with a major motion picture studio, working and living in Los Angeles. Since learning she carried a BRCA1 mutation, she’s undergone several risk-reducing surgical procedures, including bilateral mastectomy, breast reconstruction, and bilateral salpingo-oopherectomy (i.e., removal of ovaries and fallopian tubes).
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*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 and reporting carrier status. 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’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. Our carrier status reports can be used to determine carrier status, but cannot determine if you have two copies of any genetic variant. These carrier reports are not intended to tell you anything about your risk for developing a disease in the future, the health of your fetus, or your newborn child&#8217;s risk of developing a particular disease later in life. For certain conditions, we provide a single report that includes information on both carrier status and genetic health risk. Warnings &amp; Limitations: The 23andMe PGS Genetic Health Risk Report for BRCA1/BRCA2 (Selected Variants) is indicated for reporting of the 185delAG and 5382insC variants in the BRCA1 gene and the 6174delT variant in the BRCA2 gene. The report describes if a woman is at increased risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer, and if a man is at increased risk of developing breast cancer or may be at increased risk of developing prostate cancer. The three variants included in this report are most common in people of Ashkenazi Jewish descent and do not represent the majority of BRCA1/BRCA2 variants in the general population. This report does not include variants in other genes linked to hereditary cancers and the absence of variants included in this report does not rule out the presence of other genetic variants that may impact cancer risk. The PGS test is not a substitute for visits to a healthcare professional for recommended screenings or appropriate follow-up. Results should be confirmed in a clinical setting before taking any medical action. For important information and limitations regarding other genetic health risk reports and carrier status reports, [visit <a href="https://www.23andme.com/test-info/">https://www.23andme.com/test-info/</a>]. 
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Jessica Algazi

23andMe Alerted Me to My BRCA1 Variant

We wanted to share this perspective that appeared this week on the Michael J. Fox Foundation <a href="https://www.michaeljfox.org/news/powering-parkinsons-research-my-blueprint">blog</a> from, Claudia Revilla, a long-time 23andMe Parkinson&#8217;s Research participant. Claudia has been inspiring us for years and we want others to hear her voice.
First impressions. For those of us with Parkinson’s disease (PD), we all remember that dreadful day the doctor said:
<div id="attachment_27758" style="width: 292px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-27758" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Claudia-282x300.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-27758 size-medium" width="282" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Claudia-282x300.jpg 282w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Claudia.jpg 474w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 282px) 100vw, 282px" />Claudia, far right, and her son Carlos, with 23andMe co-founder and CEO Anne Wojcicki. </div>
 &#8220;You have Parkinson&#8217;s.&#8221; 
In my case, almost ten years ago, those words only made sense because I knew that something was wrong — but what followed is what set the direction of my future actions. I carefully listened to every word the doctor was saying and when she asked if I knew of any blood relative with Parkinson&#8217;s, I responded with a “no.” 
Immediately thinking of my children, I asked: 
&#8220;Is Parkinson&#8217;s disease genetic?&#8221; 
<h6>What Can I Do?</h6>
My doctor responded that in most cases, the cause of PD is unknown. We can’t confirm the disease is only genetic. Scientists are working to uncover and understand genetic components and other factors that could lead to Parkinson’s like aging and the environment. 
I went home to my private “library” — the internet — and quickly got involved with <a href="https://www.michaeljfox.org/">The Michael J. Fox Foundation</a>. I was determined to help find a cure. 
As my grandma used to say, “If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.” 
<h6>Participating in 23andMe Research</h6>
Since I can’t cure this disease all by myself, I joined efforts with those already in the search. Through <a href="https://foxtrialfinder.michaeljfox.org/">Fox Trial Finder</a>, I was matched with many opportunities to participate in PD research. One of them was genetic testing through the personal genetics company <a href="https://www.23andme.com/pd/">23andMe</a>. I immediately remembered the conversation with my doctor — and I signed up right away.
23andMe mailed me a spit kit. I followed the simple instructions — I spat in the tube and sent it back. When I got the results, just a couple of weeks later, I was, and still am in awe. I learned about me. I had information about my genetics that I did not know about. 
I took this opportunity to provide information about my own disease to be part of a larger 23andMe database with other PD patients to help find the many “whys” and “hows” of Parkinson&#8217;s. This is teamwork — through technology — not just to solve problems, but to prevent them from happening.
<h6>The Power of Knowledge</h6>
I never cared much about my own ancestry, but I do care about my health and the health of my future generations. Deciphering the code of what we are made of and how we work is like getting the blueprint of a building — using it to fix whatever breaks down or needs improvement.  
Our blueprint is the human genome, wonderful and unique to each of us. It could lead us to a way to detect, prevent and cure diseases. The power of knowledge about ourselves and our bodies is an inalienable right. It is our choice, whether we use it or not. Scientists researching incurable, progressive and devastating diseases are using genetics to find cures and answers to our ailments.  
<h6>Sharing My Story</h6>
During October, I had the opportunity to participate in a press conference for 23andMe. Myself, along with two other patients, shared our story about getting genetic testing that helped raise flags on important health issues. We all first consulted with our physicians, but the single most important action we took, was getting a 23andMe spit kit. It helped sketch our personal blueprints and empowered us to advocate for our own health.
<h6>My Hope</h6>
I wish there was a test to tell me that I have Parkinson’s. Or, even before I was diagnosed, a gene that would say definitively that I would get the disease. Because I could have taken action much earlier on. But I know these scientific breakthroughs will happen. I am taking action right now to help researchers find clues about Parkinson&#8217;s. 
Researchers have identified a handful of genes, like LRRK2 and GBA, that increase your risk of getting PD. And this has been made possible thanks to the volunteers willing to participate in genetic research. Many more findings will follow with the continued participation of volunteers in genetic research. 23andMe is making this possible and accessible to everyone.  
Back in the Middle Ages, no one dared to sail past the horizon because they believed Earth was flat. It took one brave person to try it — that was a true big step for mankind. Organizations like 23andMe and The Michael J. Fox Foundation are now sailing to the newest horizon. I, too, will follow, until we reach our destination.
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Interested in participating in genetic research? MJFF’s online clinical study Fox Insight is accelerating breakthroughs by capturing the experiences of people with and without Parkinson’s. Through a collaboration with consumer genetics company 23andMe, people with Parkinson’s who join Fox Insight can access the 23andMe Health + Ancestry Service at no cost and add their genetic information to the study. Register at <a href="https://foxinsight.michaeljfox.org/?utm_source=Blog&#038;utm_medium=Website&#038;utm_campaign=MJFF&#038;utm_content=Blog_23andMe_Podcast">foxinsight.org.</a>
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Claudia Garrido-Revilla, member of the Foundation’s Patient Council, has served as a Fox Trial Finder Ambassador and Team Fox member with The Michael J. Fox Foundation. Her advocacy and service activities are not limited to the Parkinson&#8217;s community. She has found that service and advocacy are necessary to keep a community together and healthy, and that volunteers and leaders are needed everywhere and always.

Powering Parkinson’s Research with My Blueprint 

By Amanda McCorquodale
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Raising children often feels like watching my own little science experiment on the effects of nature versus nurture. While all the ingredients in the pantry were the same, it is clear that my daughters were baked with slightly different recipes.
<div id="attachment_27728" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-27728" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/IMGP7629-150x150.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-27728" width="300" height="448" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/IMGP7629-685x1024.jpg 685w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/IMGP7629-201x300.jpg 201w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/IMGP7629-768x1147.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/IMGP7629-589x880.jpg 589w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/IMGP7629-790x1180.jpg 790w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/IMGP7629-scaled.jpg 1714w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Amanda&#8217;s twin girls.</div>
One has thick brown hair with brown eyes and the other thin blond hair and blue eyes. One gets intensely high fevers for just 24 hours while sick. The other will be mildly infirm for weeks before clearing a cold. One likes a scalding hot bath. Her sister can only tolerate lukewarm temperatures.

<h6>Getting Started with 23andMe</h6>
Our household presented almost the exact environment and lifestyle for both girls, yet their genes were taking them down different, often opposite, paths. While I conjectured who received which grandparent’s sweet tooth or hot temper, I became intrigued by a genetic test like 23andMe that could track some of these genetic traits. In reality, we are all so genetically similar— we are each about 99.5 percent identical — yet that very tiny difference is enough to make us each unique, even within my own family.
But trying out 23andMe was about more than just curiosity, I wanted to learn about my health too. Having just turned 40, I was curious to know more about what exactly was printed on my own recipe card, and how much of that I may have passed on to my daughters. 
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Whats-in-the-Kit-300x195.png" alt="" class="alignright wp-image-25528 size-medium" width="300" height="195" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Whats-in-the-Kit-300x195.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Whats-in-the-Kit-768x500.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Whats-in-the-Kit-1024x667.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Whats-in-the-Kit-880x573.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Whats-in-the-Kit-1180x768.png 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Whats-in-the-Kit.png 1822w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
<h6>Registration, Considerations, and Consent</h6>
The small box containing 23andMe’s collection kit came quickly in the mail. After taking it out of the plastic wrap and sliding off the cardboard sleeve, the first step was to register the kit online to link my account to the actual barcode on the test tube inside.&nbsp;
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Once I verified my email address, the web site ran through a list of choices I would be able to opt-in and out of, such as:&nbsp;
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/register_online-300x300.png" alt="" class="alignright wp-image-25131 size-medium" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/register_online-300x300.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/register_online-150x150.png 150w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/register_online-271x271.png 271w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/register_online-372x372.png 372w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/register_online-574x574.png 574w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/register_online.png 600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />&nbsp;
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<li>Whether to have my saliva sample stored or discarded after it has been analyzed</li>
<li>Which of the health reports — on conditions like Late-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease or Parkinson’s disease — I will view and/or opt-in to view</li>
<li>When and with which of my 23andMe DNA Relatives I share my information&nbsp;</li>
<li>To give or decline consent for 23andMe Research (more on this below)</li>
<li>Although not part of the registration process, it’s clear that if I change my mind about using 23andMe, I have the option of deleting my 23andMe account and my data at any time&nbsp;</li>
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<h6> 
</h6>
<h6>Privacy and Consent</h6>
The registration site then presented me with a list of protections. 23andMe also provides additional information on its website about how my data would be kept private; these details are further covered in their Privacy Statement and Terms of Service.
There’s also a helpful link on all many of these steps for registering your kit. For example, I was assured 23andMe will never share my data with any public databases, insurance companies, employers, or law enforcement or regulatory authorities unless required by law. 23andMe also asserts that they have a Church and State-type separation in how information is handled. In other words, personally identifying information is stored separately from genetic data.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Privacy-275x300.jpg" alt="" class="alignright wp-image-23677 size-medium" width="275" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Privacy-275x300.jpg 275w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Privacy.jpg 636w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 275px) 100vw, 275px" />
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As the registration proceeded, 23andMe also prompted me to take a moment and consider all the possible implications of DNA testing. Essentially, you might find out something unexpected. &nbsp; For instance, I might learn that someone I thought was related to me isn’t actually a biological relative, or I might find out something else — a health risk for instance — that causes me anxiety. Anyone considering doing a DNA test will likely have thought about these possibilities at some point, but it was worth giving these implications more thought before sending my sample off.
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<h6>Participating in Research</h6>
Going back to the question about research consent, I was then asked if I want to participate in 23andMe’s research programs. While a DNA test is largely about uncovering more about oneself, it was interesting to think about how that information could also advance research.&nbsp; 23andMe explains what consenting to participate in research means. There is also a detailed explanation about the meaning of “individual data sharing.” There even is a heads up that if I decide to participate in research, I might be recontacted about specific research projects.&nbsp;&nbsp;
As I finished the process, 23andMe reviews which programs I have consented and gives me opportunities to contact a 23andMe representative to ask more questions. If later on, I change my mind about participating in research, I can remove my consent without changing my access to my results. In the end, the registration process, including considering the choices and consequences of those choices, took me about 15 minutes.&nbsp;
<h6>What the Sample Process was Like&nbsp;</h6>
<div id="attachment_27729" style="width: 235px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-27729" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/IMG_7626-e1574291806161-225x300.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-27729 size-medium" width="225" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/IMG_7626-e1574291806161-225x300.jpg 225w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/IMG_7626-e1574291806161-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/IMG_7626-e1574291806161-660x880.jpg 660w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/IMG_7626-e1574291806161-885x1180.jpg 885w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/IMG_7626-e1574291806161-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px" />Just a little spit.</div>
Giving your sample is pretty straight forward, but as it turns out there’s actually an art to spitting into a tube. 23andMe’s kit consists of a test tube topped with a larger mouth funnel for ease of spitting, but a half teaspoon of saliva doesn’t seem like a lot until you actually sit down and do the deed.&nbsp;
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23andMe offers up some helpful suggestions and warns that you shouldn’t have eaten or drunk anything within a half-hour of giving your sample.&nbsp; If a case of sudden dry mouth occurs (as it did for me), 23andMe has a list of suggestions to get the saliva flowing again. (I found it particularly helpful to imagine the taste and smell of tart foods like lemons.)
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In the end, it took me about 20 minutes to generate the required sample. Once collected, I snapped the top of the funnel closed, which released a stabilizing liquid into the tube. I then unscrewed the funnel top and replaced it with the provided blue cap before placing the tube in the provided specimen bag. After packaging the kit with the provided mailing label, I placed the box in the mail.
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A few days later I received an email confirming that my sample arrived at the lab. This began the toughest part of the process, waiting on my results.
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Stay tuned for Part II to learn what it was like to get a peek into my own DNA and get my <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-health-ancestry/">Ancestry + Health Service</a> reports.
Amanda McCorquodale is a freelance writer. Her work has appeared in Gourmet, Miami Magazine and Mental Floss. She previously worked as an associate editor at the Huffington Post and as an Arts and Culture Editor at the Miami New Times. She lives in New York with her family.
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Amanda McCorquodale

Taking the Leap Into My DNA: Part I

Your Thanksgiving preferences have a lot to do with your own family traditions, but genetics may also play a role. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Turkey.001-e1575006841874-225x300.jpg" alt="" class="alignright wp-image-27745 size-medium" width="225" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Turkey.001-e1575006841874-225x300.jpg 225w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Turkey.001-e1575006841874-660x880.jpg 660w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Turkey.001-e1575006841874.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px" />
This Thanksgiving, along with taking the time to give thanks for our friends, family and all that we have, 23andMe is celebrating what our DNA can tell us about ourselves
<h6>Thanksgiving Preferences</h6>
Customers can even peruse <a href="https://you.23andme.com/health/thanksgiving2019_bundle/"> “A Very 23andMe Thanksgiving”</a> page to learn a little bit about what genetics says about their own specific traits during this holiday season. There, they can learn about their Bitter Taste preference or Alcohol Flush response. 
They can even find out about whether they are genetically predisposed to hate the sounds of others chewing. (Yeah, it’s a thing, and it’s called<a href="https://www.23andme.com/topics/traits/misophonia/"> misophonia</a>.) 
And to add a dash more of insight we’ve also done a quick look at genetic food preference data from our customers who have consented to participate in research. What we found is kind of interesting. So before you tuck into your Thanksgiving meal, take a minute to look at some of what we’ve learned.
<h6> Different Preferences between Men and Women </h6>
Looking at the data we found that men and women were likely to have some distinct food preferences based on their genetics. And about a quarter of our women customers were predicted to prefer sweet treats to salty ones. 
It was much different for men with just over two percent of our male customers likely to reach for sweets over salty treats.  
We also found a distinct difference in predicted food preferences based on the ages of our customers, or at least when we looked at customers in their 20s versus customers in their 60s. What we learned is that about 20 percent of customers in their 60s were likely to prefer sweets, versus just under 10 percent of people in their 20s.
<h6>So what does all this mean? </h6>
Traits, like a lot of conditions, are not just determined by our genes. It is actually a complex mix of culture, lifestyle, environment, and genetics that influence what we like to eat and what we turn our noses up to. 
So when 23andMe reports on your Bitter Taste preference, we are reporting on the likelihood that you can detect certain bitter compounds, and thus whether you are more or less likely to think Brussels sprouts or broccoli are bitter. The science behind that has to do with a gene, TAS2R38, which affects your taste receptors. But that doesn’t mean you will necessarily like them.
If you want to learn a little bit more about what your own genetics can tell you about your food preferences, login and check out<a href="https://you.23andme.com/health/thanksgiving2019_bundle/"> “A Very 23andMe Thanksgiving.”</a>
<h6>Not yet a customer? </h6>
Find out more about all that 23andMe has to offer<a href="https://www.23andme.com/compare-dna-tests/?vip=true"> here</a>, and don’t miss our great Black Friday and Cyber Monday deal happening now through December 2, for up to 50% off a 23andMe kit. 
 
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A Very 23andMe Thanksgiving

If you don’t know much about history, or more specifically your family health history, you should take some time to learn it because it is so important for managing your health.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Family-Tree1-300x200.jpg" alt="" class="alignright wp-image-22113 size-medium" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Family-Tree1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Family-Tree1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Family-Tree1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Family-Tree1-880x587.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Family-Tree1-1180x787.jpg 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Family health history is often the cornerstone of every medical record. It adds another dimension to your health profile, and it gives your doctor —and you —&nbsp; information to use to assist in your wellbeing.
<h6>What You Don&#8217;t Know 
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But many people often don’t know much beyond their own parents’ health, and some of us, particularly those who were adopted, might not even have that information. We might not know what our uncles or aunts or grandparents died from. 
We may have no idea of the health conditions that they lived with. But knowing this information offers important insights into our own health. 
That’s because just as genetic information from your 23andMe results can alert you to a previously unknown health risk, your family history, can also tell you a bit more about conditions you may have inherited from the generations that came before you. 
<h6>Looking Back to See Future Risks 
</h6>
Serious health conditions are sometimes run through families, sometimes skipping a generation or two. It helps to document some of the conditions that the relatives in our family tree faced to better understand our own health risks
While most people know that this information can be critical to their health, many people either do not know or have never tried to document this information. More than a decade ago, the U.S. Surgeon General kicked off an effort to change that by instituting<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/genomics/famhistory/index.htm"> National Family History Day</a>.
“Family history can identify people at high risk for many common diseases,” <a href="https://blogs-origin.cdc.gov/genomics/2018/11/19/happy-thanksgiving-2018/">said Muin J Khoury,</a>&nbsp; the Director, Office of Public Health Genomics, Centers for Disease, in a blog post last year. “In many cases, having at least one first-degree relative (parent, sibling or child) for some diseases doubles the person’s risk for the same disease. The risk is even higher if there are several affected relatives in the family, and affected relatives develop the disease at an early age.”
<h6>The Holiday</h6>
Because Thanksgiving is such a family-centric holiday, each year since 2004, the national holiday has doubled as a day not just to eat turkey and pie, but to talk to family and attempt to document health history.
To make it easier for families, the surgeon general even set up a simple and shareable tool for families to document their own health history called<a href="https://phgkb.cdc.gov/FHH/html/index.html"> My Family Health Portrait</a>. It allows you and your family members to create a family tree, write down health conditions and together create a powerful document to help you manage your health.&nbsp;
Knowing and acting on your family health history can prove life-saving in your own health.&nbsp;
&nbsp;

Learn Your Family Health History

By Rachael Rifkin
November is National Adoption Awareness Month, which recognizes the importance of adoption not just for the more than <a href="https://adoptionnetwork.com/adoption-statistics">7 million</a> Americans adoptees, but the nearly 100 million Americans who have an adoptee in their immediate family.
In honor of National Adoption Awareness Month, we wanted to share Claire Mitchell and Stefanie Beard’s story.
<div id="attachment_27753" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-27753" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Claire-Stefanie-2-300x173.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-27753 size-medium" width="300" height="173" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Claire-Stefanie-2-300x173.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Claire-Stefanie-2-768x444.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Claire-Stefanie-2-1024x592.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Claire-Stefanie-2-880x509.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Claire-Stefanie-2.jpg 1138w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Stefanie, on the left, and her new-found cousin Claire.</div>
Like many adoptees, the two twenty-somethings, turned to DNA testing to find out more about themselves. They wanted to know more about their ancestry, maybe <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-ancestry/">find some biological relatives</a>, and explore the health side of testing. 
Claire and Stefanie live only 12 miles apart in Pennsylvania, but the two didn’t know each other. 
That all changed after using 23andMe and discovering that they were first cousins once removed. As they got to know each other they learned something more. They don’t just share DNA. Twenty years ago both young women were adopted from the same town and orphanage in China. 
“Both of our minds are blown,” Stefanie told the <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/news/china-adoption-adoptee-dna-temple-university-20190315.html">Philadelphia Inquire</a>r earlier this year.
<h6>The First Connection </h6>
Their surprising story began four years ago when Claire, 20, who now attends Bryn Mawr College, submitted her DNA to 23andMe. She hoped to find biological relatives.
Fast forward to Christmas last year when Stefanie, now a 22-year-old student at Temple University in Philadelphia, decided to use 23andMe with her sister Kristyn, who was also adopted from China. 
Stefanie was more interested in settling a longstanding debate between her and Kristyn — who had a higher percentage of Chinese ancestry in their DNA. (Stefanie turned out to be 77 percent Chinese and 13 percent Vietnamese to Kristyn’s 99 percent Chinese.) 
What she didn’t expect was to find a biological relative, let alone one living in the United States.
<h6>What Are The Odds?</h6>
<div id="attachment_27754" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-27754" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Claire-and-Stefanie-e1574820229581-300x280.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-27754 size-medium" width="300" height="280" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Claire-and-Stefanie-e1574820229581-300x280.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Claire-and-Stefanie-e1574820229581.jpg 581w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Claire, on the left, and her cousin Stefanie.</div>
Despite the surge in DNA testing and the number of adoptees finding and connecting with relatives, for adoptees from China or Korea or other countries, it’s very rare to find a close family connection.
Like a lot of adoptees, Stefanie and Claire both grew up wondering about their birth parents. They wondered if they had other biological relatives out there. Was it possible to ever find them?
 Stefanie was born in Huazhou in 1997 and Claire in 1999. When Stefanie was 11 months old, she was adopted by her parents, Donna and Michael Beard, and grew up in a loving home in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. Adopted at the same age, Claire grew up in Overland Park, Kansas. They are both the second adopted daughters in their families.
Despite wondering about their origins and biological relatives, neither Claire or Stefanie, expected to find a relative, let alone one just a short train ride away. Finding a sibling or cousin actually isn’t <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/news/china-adoption-adoptee-dna-temple-university-20190315.html">unheard of</a> due to the proliferation of DNA testing. 
<h6>International Adoption</h6>
The first big wave of international adoptees came from Korea after the Korean war. China became a primary origin for adoptees after the creation of China’s one-child policy in 1980. The policy, instituted to slow population growth and avoid famine, resulted in the abandonment of thousands of children (often girls, since boys were preferred for a variety of cultural, social and economic <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Son_preference_in_China">reasons</a>). 
To combat the problem, China began its international adoption program with many children ending up in the U.S. China officially ended its one-child policy in 2016.
In the last few years with the end of the one-child policy, many of those adoptees and birth parents have been looking to reunite. For families in China trying to find their children, there are even social media platforms like WeChat and the birth family search company <a href="https://mytaproot.org/">My Taproot</a>, to help families find and connect with each other. 
<h6>Using DNA to Help in the Search</h6>
While DNA testing offers a simpler way to connect with biological relatives, it is more difficult for adoptees from China to find matches because most of those on these sites come from the United States. 
That’s what makes finding each other so special said Claire and Stefanie. 
“It was unreal. To hear from her and see that she was such a close match as a relative was unbelievable. Even more shocking was the fact that she went to Temple (like 9 miles away from my school) and her family lived in the area. It was insane in that regard,” said Claire.
<h6>Getting to Know Each Other</h6>
Since they initially matched up on 23andMe, they’ve gotten together quite a few times. They’ve met up to watch the Dragon Parade for Chinese New Year, gone to dinner and the movies. Claire and Stefanie have spent the shorter holidays together at Stefanie’s family’s house since they live in Pennsylvania. 
In fact, Claire will be coming over to their house this Thanksgiving. They get along really well and enjoy spending time together. In general, they try to meet up at least once a month. Mostly they eat and talk, making up for lost time. 
<h6>Becoming Part of the Family</h6>
At that first meeting, Stefanie met Claire at her train station to go to dim sum in Chinatown. Stefanie and Claire both texted their moms a picture of the two of them together. Their moms had the same reaction— “Tell her we say welcome to the family!”
“It was such a happy moment. My heart was so full that night. The universe wanted this to happen. There’s no other explanation,” said Stefanie.
Claire agreed. 
“To have actually been able to meet a blood relative of mine who’s only separated by perhaps our great-grandparents have made me feel just a little less lonely in a world full of people who seem to know each other in the way that only biological kin can,” said Claire. 
&nbsp;
Rachael Rifkin’s <a href="https://www.rachaelrifkin.com/">work</a> focuses on bridging the gap between generations, cultures, and backgrounds through storytelling. She also once <a href="http://bit.ly/2ZsRzAU">recreated</a> eight photos of her relatives to highlight the traits and stories we all share with our families.

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