Starting today, we&#8217;re providing an easy way for our customers to share and crowdsource treatments they use to manage common health conditions, like depression, asthma, <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/new-23andme-report-on-attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder">ADHD</a> and migraine.
<h6>Conditions Pages</h6>
All 23andMe Health + Ancestry service customers will be able to learn about the effectiveness and popularity of hundreds of different treatments for common conditions — and will also be able to contribute their own personal experiences. Crowdsourced treatment ratings are just one facet of our new <a href="https://you.23andme.com/research/condition/">Condition Pages</a>, which contain database insights on 18 <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/23andme-adds-another-important-condition-to-health-communities">common health conditions</a>.
Each condition page includes scientifically curated information describing the condition, its genetic and non-genetic influences, as well as how common it is in 23andMe research participants.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-26135 size-full" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Conditions-PageDepression.jpg" alt="An image from the health conditions page showing results around depression." width="890" height="681" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Conditions-PageDepression.jpg 890w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Conditions-PageDepression-300x230.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Conditions-PageDepression-768x588.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Conditions-PageDepression-880x673.jpg 880w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 890px) 100vw, 890px" />
The treatment section summarizes what 23andMe customers with these conditions say works or does not work in treating their condition.
<h6>Treatments Page</h6>
This kind of crowd-sourced tool allows individuals with say, depression, to see what other customers say is effective or not effective in treating the condition. This offers people a different kind of information than they could get simply by doing a Google search, because it comes from others like them living with the same conditions.
Since rolling out the treatment pages over the past few weeks, thousands of people have already contributed over 30,000 personal reviews of their responses to different treatments. This is allowing people to <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/23andme-adds-another-important-condition-to-health-communities">build communities</a> that share common conditions but have different strategies for dealing with them. At 23andMe, we believe in helping our customers manage their health — not just through <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-health-ancestry/">genetic reports</a>, but also by giving them access to lots of useful, relevant information.
“It’s evident by the growing response from our customers that there is a real desire for information around health treatments,” says Jessie Inchauspe, the product manager who spearheaded work on the treatment pages. “It’s important to enable people to actively engage in sharing health information with each other.”
This is the first time we’ve enabled customers to share real-time health information with one another.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-26134 size-large" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Treatment-effectivenss-1024x946.jpg" alt="A page from the health conditions feature that shows an example of how people report what they do for their depression including using medication and exercise and how they rate its effectiveness." width="1024" height="946" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Treatment-effectivenss-1024x946.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Treatment-effectivenss-300x277.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Treatment-effectivenss-768x710.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Treatment-effectivenss-880x813.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Treatment-effectivenss-1180x1090.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Treatment-effectivenss.jpg 1554w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
For example, you can see here the most <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/what-patients-say-works-for-bipolar-disorder">effective treatments for depression</a> reported by 23andMe customers. These include therapy, exercise, and antidepressants such as Zoloft and Wellbutrin.
<h6>Crowdsourced Information</h6>
You can also see what treatments could potentially lead to worse outcomes. For example, based on the data shared for asthma, inhalers were among the most used and most effective treatment, but they also included some cases where the symptoms got worse. However, “avoiding allergens” was a relatively effective approach without any potential negative effects.
Many treatments are designed for the average patient in mind, but few of us are actually average. We are each unique, and understanding those differences — even small ones — is essential to learn how to better treat conditions and make medical care more personalized. Genetics certainly offers important insight into how we differ in response to treatments. Allowing people to have a place to share their own experience will also aid in our understanding.
For now, the purpose of these pages is to share this crowdsourced information on the effectiveness of treatments. But the information could at some people aid in research into how people of different ethnicities or different genetic makeups respond differently to treatments.

23andMe Blog

23andMe Blog Team

Crowdsource Treatments for Health Conditions

Earlier this month 23andMe added a new <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-health-ancestry">Carrier Status* report</a> on a serious but rare condition that can lead to excessive insulin production.
Known as familial hyperinsulinism (FHI), this congenital disease is most commonly found in people with Ashkenazi Jewish, central Finnish and Saudi ancestry. FHI causes overproduction of insulin that in turn can lead to low blood sugar, low energy, irritability, seizures, and if left untreated, brain damage. But the condition can be treatable if caught early. FHI is usually diagnosed in infancy or early childhood.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/FHI-Detail-1024x606.jpg" alt="" class="aligncenter wp-image-26107 size-large" width="1024" height="606" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/FHI-Detail-1024x606.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/FHI-Detail-300x178.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/FHI-Detail-768x455.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/FHI-Detail-880x521.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/FHI-Detail-1180x699.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/FHI-Detail.jpg 1687w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
This newly added Carrier Status* report doesn’t diagnose FHI. Instead, it reports on whether you are a carrier of one of three variants in the ABCC8 gene. The report is called “Familial Hyperinsulinism (ABCC8-Related), and it tests for three variants in the ABCC8 gene that can cause FHI. These three variants cover about 97 percent of ABCC8-related FHI variants in people of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, and about 41 percent of variants in people of Finnish descent.
<div style="float: right; text-align: justified; width: 300px; background-color: #eee; padding: 15px; margin-left: 10px;">
What’s a Carrier Status* Report?
Carrier status tests are a type of genetic test used to find out if you carry a genetic change – or variant. For the types of conditions included in a carrier status test, having one genetic change – being a carrier – typically means you do not have that condition, but you could pass the variant on to your each of your children.
 
Carrier status tests are typically offered for autosomal recessive conditions [or disorders]. For these conditions, a child needs to inherit a variant from both parents in order to have the condition. If both parents are carriers, each child has a one in four, or 25 percent, chance of being affected with the condition. 
(It’s important to note that this also means that each child has a 75 percent chance of not being affected.)
 
Autosomal recessive conditions for which carrier testing is commonly offered by healthcare providers include cystic fibrosis, Tay-Sachs disease, and sickle cell anemia, among many others.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Carrier-Status-300x239.jpg" alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-26106" width="300" height="239" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Carrier-Status-300x239.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Carrier-Status-768x612.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Carrier-Status-1024x816.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Carrier-Status-880x701.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Carrier-Status.jpg 1137w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
</div>
Carriers have a slight risk of developing a form of FHI. But the report is most relevant for prospective parents, who could pass the variant on to their children.
About one in 52 people of Ashkenazi Jewish descent are carriers of ABCC8-related FHI. And as we noted earlier, unlike with our other Carrier Status* reports, being a carrier of one of the three variants in our report does carry a small risk (less than 1 percent) of developing a form of FHI. 
The FHI report is the latest in a regular cadence of new FDA-authorized health-related reports 23andMe offers customers. This brings the total number of Carrier Status* reports to 43. 23andMe also includes Genetic Health Risk* reports, and next month, 23andMe will add a BRCA1/BRCA2 (Selected Variants)* report to its list of Genetic Health Risk* reports. The BRCA1/BRCA2 (Selected Variants)* report is the first-ever direct-to-consumer genetic health report on cancer risk.
As with other health-related reports, 23andMe has a tutorial customers can go through before viewing their Familial Hyperinsulinism (ABCC8-Related) report. In addition to the tutorial, the report itself offers details on the condition, the specific variants tested for and the scientific details supporting the report. There are also links to information about genetic counseling and support group resources.
*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>

23andMe Adds A New Carrier Status Report on Familial Hyperinsulinism

We wear pink ribbons. We walk or run for the cause. We have a month for awareness, and yet many women who have a higher risk variant in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes remain unaware of their heightened genetic risk for breast and ovarian cancer until a doctor diagnoses them with cancer.<a id="a1" href="#f1">[1]</a> 
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Anne_Color_-Seated-250x300.jpg" alt="" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-22084" width="250" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Anne_Color_-Seated-250x300.jpg 250w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Anne_Color_-Seated-768x923.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Anne_Color_-Seated-852x1024.jpg 852w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Anne_Color_-Seated-732x880.jpg 732w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Anne_Color_-Seated-982x1180.jpg 982w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px" />
That’s a failure. 
This is not a radical indictment of the American healthcare system; it’s just a fact. We are very good at treating illnesses, but not at preventing them. 

<h6>BRCA</h6>
Under the current system, there are specific guidelines for BRCA screening that limit who has access to BRCA testing. Family history of cancer and Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry are the most common criteria for screening guidelines. However we have seen at 23andMe that many people do not know their family medical history or their ancestry. So, many people fall through the cracks in the current screening system leaving them unaware of their risk. <a id="a2" href="#f2">[2]</a>
It doesn’t have to be that way.
<h6>23andMe&#8217;s BRCA1/BRCA2 Report</h6>
Today, 23andMe received the first-ever FDA authorization for a direct-to-consumer genetic test for cancer risk for its BRCA1/BRCA2 (Selected Variants) report. The report covers three variants in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes associated with increased risk for breast, ovarian, and prostate cancer. These variants are most common in people of Ashkenazi Jewish descent.
Worrying about the many current 23andMe customers who have one of or more of these variants has caused me sleepless nights. We believe they have the right to know about this risk, if they choose. And it&#8217;s more than just women — men with one of the BRCA1 or BRCA2 variants we test for are at higher risk for male breast cancer, and may have a higher risk of certain other cancers as well. Men who find out they have one of the tested BRCA variants can also alert female relatives who might benefit from knowing about their potential genetic risk.
<h6>Opportunities for Prevention</h6>
Importantly, studies have found women falling through gaps in breast cancer screening. In her 2015 recommendation for broader screening, <a href="http://www.ascopost.com/issues/february-10-2015/dr-mary-claire-king-proposes-population-screening-in-all-young-women-for-brca-mutations/">geneticist Mary-Claire King, Ph.D., said</a>, “Every breast cancer patient we identify after she develops cancer clearly represents a missed opportunity for prevention.”
A <a href="http://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1415979111">2014 study</a> led by Dr. King found that 50 percent of families that had a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations had no history of breast or ovarian cancer that would have triggered clinical attention. Similarly our own data shows that a significant number of 23andMe customers who have one of the selected BRCA mutations for which we test, would likely not meet traditional guidelines for screening because they reported being unaware of their ancestry or a family history of cancer. 
Those customers — carriers of the selected BRCA1/BRCA2 variants who reported no family history of cancer and no Jewish ancestry — would likely never know about their risk because they’d never be offered screening under traditional guidelines. It’s a small but significant number of people, and for those individuals, this information could have a profound impact in their lives.<a id="a3" href="#f3">[3]</a>
<h6><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/BRCA-Launch_1080x1080-300x300.png" alt="" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-26062" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/BRCA-Launch_1080x1080-300x300.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/BRCA-Launch_1080x1080-150x150.png 150w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/BRCA-Launch_1080x1080-768x768.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/BRCA-Launch_1080x1080-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/BRCA-Launch_1080x1080-880x880.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/BRCA-Launch_1080x1080-271x271.png 271w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/BRCA-Launch_1080x1080-372x372.png 372w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/BRCA-Launch_1080x1080-574x574.png 574w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/BRCA-Launch_1080x1080-980x980.png 980w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/BRCA-Launch_1080x1080.png 1080w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Unexpected Findings</h6>
A few years ago, 23andMe studied how people react to<a href="https://peerj.com/articles/8/"> unexpected BRCA findings</a>.<a id="a4" href="#f4">[4]</a> Researchers found that the results didn’t induce anxiety, which was the concern of many. Instead, they sparked crucial conversations among families. These conversations, in turn, created what researchers call a “cascade effect.” These are benefits that extend beyond the person who tested. They extend to members of that person&#8217;s family. It gives each a warning of a potential risk not just for breast, but also ovarian as well as prostate cancer in men.
This was a small study, but since the paper was published a lot has happened. 23andMe had to suspend offering genetic health risk reports — including the BRCA1/BRCA2 report — to customers as we went through an FDA review of our ability accurately detect these variants. We also had to show to the FDA that we could report genetic health risk information to customers in a way that could be easily understood. We did that.
Let’s be clear. 23andMe’s new report, once it’s available, does not diagnose cancer and cannot rule out your chances of getting cancer. It doesn&#8217;t cover most of the thousands of BRCA1 and BRCA2 variants associated with increased cancer risk. There are also variants in other genes associated with hereditary cancer, or non-genetic factors such as environment and lifestyle. The report should not be used on its own to make medical decisions. Results should be confirmed with a healthcare provider in a clinical setting before taking any medical action. 
23andMe’s BRCA1/BRCA2 report is not going to be helpful for everyone, but it’s a step in the right direction. We already know of customers who benefited from this information.
<h6>Taking Action</h6>
I know some of these women. They are among the 23andMe customers who tested more than four years ago when we previously offered this report.
&nbsp;
Women like Hilary Hood, a photographer, and mother of three grown daughters, who was surprised to learn about her breast cancer risk after testing with 23andMe. 
“It didn’t occur to me that I was at risk because I didn’t have a mother or sister or aunt with it,” she said. “I didn’t understand the genetic component.”
&nbsp;
It was a shock for Ann Mellinger too. 
&nbsp;
Ann, a CEO, and mother in New York didn’t have information about her biological father’s family health history. 

&nbsp;
“Most people who test positive for the BRCA1 mutation have a family history of breast and ovarian cancer, but I was aware of no cases in our family,” she said. “Knowledge is power, and in my case, the information I gained could quite possibly have saved my life.”
&nbsp;
Now, more than four years later, with our third FDA authorization we can again offer a BRCA report to customers covering the selected BRCA1/BRCA2 variants. It’s the first time the Agency has authorized a direct-to-consumer genetic test for cancer risk without a prescription. 
&nbsp;
This is a major milestone for 23andMe. But more importantly, a significant step forward for consumers who want direct and affordable access to their health information. Over the last four years, it has kept me up at night knowing that we have customers with one of these risk variants but have been unable to tell them. I can sleep better knowing that soon, if our customers choose to, they can view this information. We know from our own data that this information can be incredibly meaningful for customers and, in some cases, could even save lives. 
<footer class="footnotes">References:</footer>
<footer class="footnotes">
<a id="f1" href="#a1">[1]</a><a href="https://jamanetwork.com/searchresults?author=Mary-Claire+King&amp;q=Mary-Claire+King" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">King, M</a> et al. (2014). &#8220;<a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/1902783">Population-Based Screening for BRCA1 and BRCA2</a>&#8221; JAMA. 2014;312(11):1091-1092. doi:10.1001/jama.2014.12483 <a href=" https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/1902783"></a></footer>
<footer class="footnotes">
<a id="f2" href="#a2">[2]</a>Ibid.</footer>
<footer class="footnotes">
<a id="f3" href="#a3">[3]</a>Statistics come from internal data of 23andMe customers. 23andMe’s research team is working on a manuscript focusing on this data.</footer>
<footer class="footnotes">
<a id="f4" href="#a4">[4]</a><a href="https://peerj.com/articles/8/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Francke, U</a> et al. (2013). &#8220;<a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/1902783">Dealing with the unexpected: consumer responses to direct-access BRCA mutation testing</a>&#8221; PeerJ 2013. </footer>

A Major Milestone in Consumer Health Empowerment

By Becca Krock, Product Scientist 
You might have noticed that 23andMe’s <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-ancestry/">Trait reports</a> have a new look. If you haven&#8217;t yet, go check them out. Genetics can&#8217;t tell your fortune, but they can be used to make pretty cool statistical predictions about the color of your eyes, <a href="https://www.23andme.com/topics/traits/cheek-dimples">whether you have dimples</a>, and your taste preferences. We redesigned the Trait reports after hearing from our customers that they wanted to learn more about the genetics behind their traits and why their genetic predictions might not always match their real-life traits. The new designs bring these ideas to the forefront with the help of vivid visuals and other features.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/eye-1024x683.png" alt="" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-26050" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/eye-1024x683.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/eye-300x200.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/eye-768x512.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/eye-880x587.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/eye-1180x787.png 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/eye.png 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />

<h5>What&#8217;s new?</h5>
The new Trait reports have:
<ul>
<li>a fresh face with colorful designs,</li>
<li>a new visual showing your results,</li>
<li>an interactive element that compares your predicted result with your actual trait,</li>
<li>a visual showing your DNA variants,</li>
<li>and expanded content explaining more about the &#8216;how&#8217; and &#8216;why&#8217; of each trait. </li>
</ul>

You can learn a lot by taking a closer look at these info-packed features. 

<h5>For every 100 people like you&#8230;</h5>
The first change you&#8217;ll notice is the look and feel of your results. For the most part your results themselves haven&#8217;t changed, but how we illustrate them has. We hope the new result graphics give you more insight into what your result really means, and how we created it.

Take the Bitter Taste report, for example: it turns out that some people are able to taste certain bitter chemicals, like molecules called PTC and PROP, that are similar to chemicals that occur naturally in food like raw broccoli and brussels sprouts, while other people can&#8217;t taste them. Those people are missing the taste sensors that their taste buds would need to detect this bitterness. So broccoli can taste different to two different people.

Let&#8217;s take a look through all the new features, starting with my own genetic results for the Bitter Taste report. Based on my genetics, I&#8217;m unlikely to be able to detect these bitter chemicals. Below my result is an image comparing me to 100 people with the same genetic profile for this trait. It shows that for every 100 23andMe research participants with the same genetic result as me, 65 have told us raw broccoli or brussels sprouts don&#8217;t taste bitter to them, and 35 say they do taste bitter. 
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Becca-Results-1024x856.png" alt="" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-26052" width="1024" height="856" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Becca-Results-1024x856.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Becca-Results-300x251.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Becca-Results-768x642.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Becca-Results-880x736.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Becca-Results-1180x987.png 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Becca-Results.png 1232w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />You can learn from this image that people with genetics like mine have a 65 percent chance of being unable to taste the bitterness in broccoli and brussels sprouts. Since this likelihood is greater than 50 percent, that&#8217;s the outcome predicted for me: &#8220;unlikely to detect certain bitter tastes.&#8221; As it turns out, that is true for me. I tested my sensitivity to these chemicals using at-home PTC taste test strips. One of my PTC-perceiving colleagues tried one and immediately grimaced at the bitterness, while I didn&#8217;t taste anything at all.
&nbsp;
At the same time, this data also shows that I still have a 35 percent chance of having the opposite result. So what would it mean if I actually were able to detect these bitter tastes? I would fall in that smaller group, the 35 percent of people with my genetics who buck the trend. 
&nbsp;
<h5>When your most likely result doesn&#8217;t match your actual trait</h5>
If you&#8217;re one of the people with the less common result for your genetics, the next new feature is tailor-made for you. This interactive element unpacks some reasons why you might be the way you are. Below the result image is a link that reads &#8220;Do broccoli or brussels sprouts taste bitter to you? Click here.&#8221; Clicking on this link opens a dialogue box.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Do-Raw-Broccoli-1024x701.png" alt="" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-26053" width="1024" height="701" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Do-Raw-Broccoli-1024x701.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Do-Raw-Broccoli-300x205.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Do-Raw-Broccoli-768x526.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Do-Raw-Broccoli-880x602.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Do-Raw-Broccoli-1180x808.png 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Do-Raw-Broccoli.png 1198w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />For the Bitter Taste report, if I answered that I actually do perceive the bitterness in broccoli and brussels sprouts, it would tell me that I have the more unusual outcome. I could also learn about factors other than genetics — like age, sex, or culture and life experiences — that could have the opposite effect from your genetics. 
&nbsp;
<h5>Behind the scenes with your genetics</h5>
The next new item in the report gives you a glimpse into how we calculate your result. Different Trait reports are powered by different DNA differences, or genetic variants. Some traits are strongly influenced by just one or a few genetic variants, while other traits are influenced by dozens or more genetic variants. Bitter Taste is an example of a trait that&#8217;s strongly affected by just one variant: 
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/How-We-Calculate-2-1024x455.png" alt="" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-26054" width="1024" height="455" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/How-We-Calculate-2-1024x455.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/How-We-Calculate-2-300x133.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/How-We-Calculate-2-768x341.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/How-We-Calculate-2-880x391.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/How-We-Calculate-2-1180x524.png 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/How-We-Calculate-2.png 1274w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />The image shows a diagram of Becca&#8217;s two copies of chromosome number 7, the chromosome that this genetic variant marker happens to be on. It also shows the approximate location of this genetic marker, and the DNA variants she has there, called her genotype. 
&nbsp;
<h5>When traits get complex</h5>
Many traits are genetically complex, meaning they&#8217;re influenced by not just one, but many genetic variants. The taste preference that’s detailed in 23andMe’s <a href="https://www.23andme.com/topics/traits/sweet-salty/">Sweet vs. Salty report</a> is one example of a complex trait. 
&nbsp;
For reports like this, there are two parts of the &#8220;How did we calculate your result?&#8221; section. The first part summarizes all the genetic variants that went into your result, along with any other factors we also took into account. These other factors can include your age, sex, and a number called the &#8220;intercept&#8221; that goes into the math calculating your result. (The intercept value is the same for everyone, but differs for each trait.) 
&nbsp;
Let&#8217;s take a look at the image that summarizes all those factors. This one is taken from the Sweet vs. Salty report of our scientist Chelsea, who is predicted to prefer salty snacks over sweet ones. (We were half right — Chelsea says she loves all snacks equally!)
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/How-We-Calculate.jpg" alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-26055" width="659" height="445" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/How-We-Calculate.jpg 659w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/How-We-Calculate-300x203.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 659px) 100vw, 659px" />The green bar is longer than the blue bar, showing that the factors that make Chelsea likely to prefer salty snacks outweigh the factors that make her likely to prefer sweet ones. The different contributions of genetics versus other factors are distinguished with bold versus pale colors. The bold blue and green show the contribution of her genetics to her likelihoods of each possible outcome, and the pale blue and green show the contribution of the other factors. 
&nbsp;
The second part of this section breaks down the genetic factors and maps them on to the 23 chromosomes: 
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Breakdown-1024x513.png" alt="" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-26056" width="1024" height="513" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Breakdown-1024x513.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Breakdown-300x150.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Breakdown-768x385.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Breakdown-880x441.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Breakdown-1180x591.png 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Breakdown.png 1522w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Reports like Sweet vs. Salty show the locations of all the genetic variants included in that report. The effect of your genetic variants at each markers is shown as one dot on the chromosomes. Genetic variants that tip Chelsea&#8217;s result toward preferring sweet tastes are shown in blue, and genetic variants that tip her result back toward preferring salty tastes are shown in green. 
&nbsp;
But wait… there&#8217;s more. The size of the dots is scaled to show how strong of an effect that genetic variant has. Bigger dots have a bigger effect on the trait prediction. For Chelsea, there&#8217;s one large green dot on chromosome 19 that&#8217;s having a big impact on her result. 
&nbsp;
Whew! That was a lot. Spending a little time on these images can reward you with so much knowledge about yourself (and genetics and probabilities)! And now that we&#8217;ve walked through a couple examples, you&#8217;ve got the gist of them all. 
&nbsp;
<h5>The power of 23andMe research</h5>
One of the coolest things about our Trait reports, if we do say so ourselves, is that they were all created using the survey responses of 23andMe research participants. We sent survey questions asking our research participants about their taste preferences, hair color, <a href="https://www.23andme.com/topics/traits/finger-length-ratio">finger length</a>, and more. They answered. And then we used that information to discover brand-new genetic associations that power the algorithms behind your predictions. 
&nbsp;
Our customers&#8217; enthusiasm for participating in research is what made many of these Trait reports possible. These new versions give even more of this research back to you.
&nbsp;

Sr. Product Scientist I

Becca Berns

Your Traits Never Looked Better

It may have been a coincidence but with Valentine’s Day just around the corner, one night a few weeks ago a band of thieves nicked 44 tons of chocolate, worth about half a million dollars.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-20323" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/HiRes-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/HiRes-300x300.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/HiRes-150x150.jpg 150w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/HiRes-768x768.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/HiRes-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/HiRes-880x880.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/HiRes-1180x1180.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/HiRes-271x271.jpg 271w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/HiRes-372x372.jpg 372w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/HiRes-574x574.jpg 574w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/HiRes-980x980.jpg 980w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
German chocolate.
Maybe these guys pulled the wrong heist. Perhaps all this focus on one confection at this time of year is misplaced.
Do we all really love chocolate that much?
Being the nerds that we are, we looked at the data.
First, we actually do have data on chocolate. Turns out most people we surveyed prefer dark chocolate to milk chocolate — 52 percent versus 48 percent. We don’t have data about whether any of those same people like marzipan inside their chocolates, yuck.
But we do know from the data that among those who eat chocolate — most of us — more than 35 percent eat some chocolate at least once a week. About 18 percent said they had a bit of chocolate every single day, and then there were a few that may need an intervention. About two percent of those surveyed said they eat chocolate several times a day.
OK, so that seems to settle it people really like chocolate, right?
Not so fast.
Another of our surveys asked research participants what they reached for when they wanted to nosh on a snack, and a majority of them passed on sweet stuff, like chocolate, and went for salty snacks.
About 58 percent of the more than 500,000 customers who answered the survey said they preferred salty over sweet. The percentages skew a little more toward men liking salty a bit more than women, but even among women, 56 percent say they go for a salty treat over a sweet one.
So maybe consider something beyond just a box of chocolates for the love of your life this Valentine’s Day.
As for those thieves, maybe they should have ripped off a bunch of pretzels instead. We hear they make good ones in Germany.

23andMine

Even after a best-selling book and countless articles, few of us know the name Henrietta Lacks — but we should.
<div id="attachment_26005" style="width: 260px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-26005" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Henrietta_Lacks_1920-1951.jpg" alt="" class="size-full wp-image-26005" width="250" height="362" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Henrietta_Lacks_1920-1951.jpg 250w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Henrietta_Lacks_1920-1951-207x300.jpg 207w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px" />Henrietta Lacks</div>
The young African American mother of five, who died in 1951 of an aggressive form of cervical cancer, has remained a hidden figure in our history. Yet her contributions to science — in the form of the human cancer cells cultured from her body — have transformed medicine. These immortal “HeLa cells”, as scientists dubbed them, have been vital for the development of everything from the polio vaccine, to chemotherapy drugs, HPV treatments, in-vitro fertilization and gene mapping. And the cells are still being used today, critical in important research. It’s distressing to learn now that at the time it never occured to doctors or scientists to even ask Henrietta or her family for permission.
This week 23andMe participated in an event to honor Henrietta Lacks’ contribution to science. Put together by <a href="http://www.aachac.org/">African American Community Health Advisory Committee,</a> in partnership with the San Francisco-Peninsula Alumnae Chapter, <a href="http://www.dstsfpa.org/">Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc</a>., and the <a href="https://www.smchealth.org/division-public-health-policy-and-planning">County of San Mateo,</a> California, the event included two members of the Henrietta’s family in part to help bring awareness of health issues for people of color. 
The tragedy of Henrietta’s death, and the loss experienced by her husband and children, was compounded by the fact that no one ever told her family that her cells had been taken and cultured for research. Major breakthroughs were made, and so were billions of dollars, but her family — who lived in the shadow of the world-renowned John’s Hopkins Hospital where some of this research took place — was kept in the dark for decades. They first learned about what was happening when <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-23611189">scientists reached out </a>to them for additional blood samples. And in an irony of this story, while Henrietta’s cells were so vital for medical research, many of her family members lived without basic health insurance. At the event this week, her grandson Frank Lacks was there to encourage people to learn from her story. The lesson isn’t that underrepresented people should walk away from participating in this kind of research, said Frank, they should be demanding a seat at the table so they too can benefit from it.
Henrietta’s story, so ably told in<a href="http://rebeccaskloot.com/"> Rebecca Skloot</a>’<a href="http://rebeccaskloot.com/">s</a> 2010 book<a href="http://rebeccaskloot.com/the-immortal-life/"> The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks</a> and in a new<a href="http://www.hbo.com/movies/the-immortal-life-of-henrietta-lacks"> HBO Films movie</a> starring Oprah Winfrey, is both moving and important for finally recognizing the contribution of this hidden hero. 
Her story also reminds us of how far we’ve come, and how important one person, like Henrietta, could be for research. It also highlights how much more needs to be done to improve health research in underrepresented populations.
After years of developing 23andMe’s unique research model — one that enlists people as participants in research, not subjects to it — we’ve learned that people want to participate in important science, and more than 80 percent of our customers choose to participate in research. But our research participants also want to know and have control over how their information is being used. They want the choice to participate, or not, an option Henrietta never had. They do not want someone else making that choice for them. They want to know what happens to their data, and when a discovery is made, they want to hear about it. 23andMe works toward being as transparent with our own customers as possible, sharing with them information about research we do using customer data, and giving customers control over whether or not they want to share their data. 23andMe also gives participants the option of opting out of research at any time. For more please read our<a href="https://www.23andme.com/about/privacy/"> privacy statement</a>,<a href="https://www.23andme.com/about/tos/"> terms of service</a>, our <a href="https://www.23andme.com/about/consent/">consent form</a>, or visit our bibliography cataloguing  <a href="https://www.23andme.com/publications/">our research</a>. 
Henrietta didn’t just help power scientific research: Her story helped transform how researchers treat people who participate in scientific studies. Research on human subjects now must be overseen by independent review boards to ensure that participants understand the research being done with their information, that they are not harmed by that research, and that their interests are protected. 
For all of that and more we owe our thanks to Henrietta, and we should each learn more about her story. It was also a fitting way to begin Black History Month.
&nbsp;
<h5>To Learn More</h5>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://henriettalacksfoundation.org/">Henrietta Lacks Foundation</a></li>
<li><a href="http://rebeccaskloot.com/">Rebecca Skloot</a>, author of the book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks</li>
<li><a href="http://www.hbo.com/movies/the-immortal-life-of-henrietta-lacks">HBO Films “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”</a></li>
<li><a href="https://directorsblog.nih.gov/2013/08/07/hela-cells-a-new-chapter-in-an-enduring-story/#more-1902">HeLa Cells: A New Chapter in an Enduring Story</a>, blog by NIH Director Francis Collins</li>
<li>NIH Henrietta Lacks Timeline</li>
</ul>

Honoring Henrietta Lacks

Over the last decade, more and more people have embraced a gluten-free diet, but their motivations often differ.

Some of these people might have wheat allergies or gluten intolerance. But a small percentage of people have a condition called <a href="https://www.23andme.com/topics/health-predispositions/celiac-disease">celiac disease.</a> For someone with celiac disease gluten triggers an immune response that damages the small intestine. This can affect the absorption of nutrients and lead to painful digestive problems.

<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Celiac_1-1024x535.png" alt="" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-25801" width="1024" height="535" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Celiac_1-1024x535.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Celiac_1-300x157.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Celiac_1-768x401.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Celiac_1-880x460.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Celiac_1-1180x617.png 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Celiac_1.png 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
&nbsp;
<h6>New 23andMe Report on Celiac Disease</h6>
This week 23andMe released a new genetic health risk report on celiac disease.*  The new report looks at two genetic variants — rs2187668 and rs7454108 — that are linked to the HLA-DQ2.5 and HLA-DQ8 haplotypes associated with higher risk for celiac. 
A haplotype is a group of genes inherited together from a single parent. People with one or both of these two haplotypes account for about 95 percent of all of celiac disease cases. So if you have celiac disease, it’s likely you have one of these variants. 
But it’s important to note that having one of these variants doesn’t mean you will develop celiac disease. Although 15 to 30 percent of all people have one of these risk variants, only about 3 percent of people with one of these variants develop celiac disease. If you don’t have one of these haplotypes it is very unlikely that you will develop celiac disease.
<h6>A Gluten-Free Diet</h6>
But knowing you have one of these variants can be important especially for those who believe they have symptoms or additional risk factors. If they learn they have at least one of the risk variants, the report could help them follow-up with a doctor. A doctor  may recommend more rigorous screening. For most people with celiac disease, the most effective treatment is adhering to a completely gluten-free diet. This can help alleviate symptoms and allow the small intestine to heal.

It’s possible to have gluten sensitivity and not have celiac disease. This report does not cover non-celiac disease gluten sensitivity. 23andMe doesn’t currently have reports on food allergies or other sensitivities to gluten.

23andMe&#8217;s Celiac Disease report adds to a growing list of valuable and actionable <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-health-ancestry">genetic health risk reports</a> we offer customers. 

*The Celiac Disease genetic health risk report (i) is indicated for reporting of the rs2187668 variant in the HLA-DQA1 gene, which tags the HLA-DQ2.5 haplotype; and the rs7454108 variant near the HLA-DQB1 gene, which tags the HLA-DQ8 haplotype, (ii) describes if a person has variants associated with an increased risk of developing celiac disease, and (iii) is most relevant for people of European descent.

New 23andMe Report on Celiac Disease

Last week, 23andMe released two new genetic health risk reports for customers.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright wp-image-25671 size-medium" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/eye.001-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/eye.001-300x225.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/eye.001-768x576.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/eye.001-880x660.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/eye.001.jpg 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Taken together, 23andMe’s Genetic Health Risk reports remain the only direct-to-consumer genetic health reports authorized by the FDA. They can tell you about genetic variants that may increase your risk of <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-health-ancestry/">developing certain serious health conditions</a>, such as late-onset Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s.
The two new reports focus on two other conditions: <a href="https://www.23andme.com/topics/health-predispositions/amd">Age-related macular degeneration</a> (AMD), and <a href="https://www.23andme.com/topics/health-predispositions/hereditary-hemochromatosis/">Hereditary Hemochromatosis</a>. AMD is a leading cause of irreparable vision loss and blindness in older Americans. Hemochromatosis, which is a genetic condition characterized by the absorption of too much dietary iron, can lead to iron overload and which in turn can cause damage to the liver, heart, and pancreas.
These reports look at genetic variants with well-established and meaningful effects on risk.
<h5>Age-related Macular Degeneration</h5>
Our new report on AMD looks at the two most common variants associated with the risk of developing the condition — Y402H and A69S.
There are two kinds of AMD— Dry AMD, which progresses more slowly and is milder, and it accounts for about 90 percent of all cases; and Wet AMD, which is more severe, progresses rapidly and accounts for the remaining cases.
A common symptom as AMD progresses is the development of a blurred area near the center of vision. Over time, the blurred area may grow larger or individuals may develop blank spots in their central vision. In addition objects may be less bright as the condition progresses.
Genetics plays a major role in developing both forms of AMD, although other factors also influence the risk, including diet, smoking, age, ethnicity (this report is most relevant to people of European ancestry) and exposure to sunlight. Lifestyle changes, like eating more leafy green vegetables, wearing sunglasses, and not smoking, can help reduce the risk of AMD.
While there are no treatments that can successfully reverse the damage from AMD, there are treatments that can help slow its progression. Researchers are looking to see if genetics influences the effectiveness of some of these treatments, such as the use of the injectable drug ranibizumab.
<h5>Hereditary Hemochromatosis</h5>
The 23andMe Genetic Health Risk report for Hereditary Hemochromatosis covers the most common forms of the condition caused by variants in the HFE gene. The HFE gene contains instructions for making a protein that helps to regulate the amount of iron absorbed into the body. The two genetic variants used in 23andMe&#8217;s report — C282Y and H63D — cause 91 percent of all HFE-related hereditary hemochromatosis. But, having these two variants doesn’t mean one will develop the condition.
Hemochromatosis tends to develop in older men, and it is most common with men of European ancestry. Women rarely develop the condition. With sometimes-vague symptoms that include fatigue, joint pain, and darkening of the skin, hemochromatosis can be hard to diagnose without genetic testing, such as this. But it is very treatable — often by regular blood draws — and if caught early, lasting damage to the liver, heart or other organs can be prevented.

23andMe Adds New Genetic Health Risk Reports

<div id="attachment_25595" style="width: 294px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-25595" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Fah-284x300.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-25595 size-medium" width="284" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Fah-284x300.jpg 284w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Fah.jpg 346w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 284px) 100vw, 284px" />Fah getting ready for his trek to Everest base camp. Everest can be seen in the background.</div>
On vacation trekking the Himalayas with his partner, 23andMe computational biologist Fah Sathirapongsasuti didn’t just take snapshots of surrounding peaks, he also did a little science at 17,000 feet.
As he hoofed along the trail to Everest base camp, Fah recorded the toll of hiking at altitude took on his body, monitoring his heart rate, the oxygen saturation in his blood, the number of calories he burned, and his disrupted sleep patterns.
“There were a few days that I felt pretty miserable,” he said.
Collecting data on vacation might not be on the top of your trip itinerary, but Fah saw an opportunity. He saw a chance to record in real time and with real data, the impact of altitude on the human body. And, he thought if enough people like him recorded their data and pooled it together, perhaps he could learn something more about why some of us do better than others at higher elevations. (You can see morea about how he tracked his data <a href="https://scholar.harvard.edu/fah/science-little-altitude">here</a>, or look at the sidebar to learn more about how you could track your own data if you’re planning a trip to higher elevations.)
“I don’t think you need to be a geek or a scientist to enjoy collecting data during your vacation,” said Fah. “Our ability to adapt to foreign environments such as high altitude is a testament to the wonder of the human body. Quantifying it will help you see and appreciate your own body more.”

<div style="float: right; text-align: justified; width: 350px; background-color: #eee; padding: 15px; margin-left: 10px;">
Fah&#8217;s DIY Altitude Science Field Guide 
I don’t think you need to be a geek or a scientist to enjoy collecting data during your vacation. Our ability to adapt to foreign environments such as high altitude is a testament to the wonder of the human body. Quantifying it will help you see and appreciate your body more. Plus, monitoring your blood oxygen level (SpO2) during high altitude trekking can literally save your life!
My data from Everest Base Camp Trekking can be found <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1LQA3bKR-fcssExZcvDPMyKOgIzIgahPcjjP12krvqjY/edit?usp=sharing">here</a>. If you are planning a trip up the mountains, to elevations higher than 9,000 feet, I’ve outlined how you too can track this data.
What to track?
If you are traveling to a “very high altitude” — defined as anything higher than 11,500 ft (e.g. Mt Whitney, Machu Picchu, or Mount Kilimanjaro) — there are a few experiments you can try. 
I found that the oxygen saturation in my blood, now easily measured using a pulse oximeter that can be clipped to your finger and also tracks your pulse rate. 
The key here is to record at three consistent times each day:

<ol>
<li>On arrival at your resting point (e.g. campsite or , lodge)</li>
<li>Before bed</li>
<li>Morning, within the first hour after waking up</li>
</ol>
When recording the data, you should also make note of the elevation, and whether you have any symptoms of altitude sickness. For me, that amounted to nausea, dizziness, restless sleep and blurred vision.  Beyond those three key points of measuring your blood oxygen, you should also measure immediately after exertion, that could include hiking or climbing or skiing. Whatever you are doing at elevation that is physically taxing.  Record the exercise. Measure your heart rate and SpO2 immediate after exercise. Keep repeatedly measuring every 30 seconds after you’ve finished the “exercise” until your heart rate returns to normal. For me, this was instructive because I was able to see that I could recover even from the most strenuous exertions relatively quickly with a relatively  If you are going to a moderately high altitude location (4,900-11,500 ft), such as Aspen or Lake Tahoe, it is less likely that you will experience altitude sickness., But you may observe changes in your physiology especially during an exercise.  You might consider doing some strenuous exercise such as a sprint and measure your SpO2.  You might be surprised by how low it can get.
What You’ll Need 
Like any good experiment you’ll need a few things to ensure you can record good data. You&#8217;lld need a good pulse oximeter.  There are several brands.  The one I used is iHealth Air Pulse Oximeter available on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/iHealth-Pulse-Oximeter-Apple-Android/dp/B00D7MDXCU">Amazon</a>. In addition you&#8217;ll need a fitness tracker.  There are several acceptable, each with its own features and quirks.  I use Fitbit Charge HR, mostly for the balance between price and features.  Make sure it has continuous heart rate monitor and accelerometer (for steps and elevation gain estimate). 
</div>
Although we can acclimatize to exertion at elevation, some people adapt to life at higher altitudes better than others. Sherpas, the ethnic group that has lived for thousands of years in the Himalayas, have a genetic advantage for life in the thin oxygen air of their homelands. So do Tibetans. Their genetic advantage is something they inherited from our ancient human cousins, the<a href="https://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v512/n7513/full/nature13408.html"> Denisovians</a>, more than 40,000 years ago. Variants in two genes EPAS1 and EGLN1 are prevalent in Tibetans. Among everyone else, it’s hard to predict who will be get sick at high elevations and who won’t. 
Most people know that climbing Everest is fraught with peril, but fewer know that just trekking to base camp can pose a danger due to altitude sickness. Although there aren&#8217;t accurate statistics on the number of trekkers hit by altitude sickness on the trail, a few die each year from what’s called Acute Mountain Sickness or underlying conditions that are exacerbated by exertion at altitude. But currently there is no good way to determine who might get sick and who won’t.
Fah and his partner were careful and prepared for their trek. Both of them are in shape, but even so they had days that were very difficult. Fah thought this was likely so he wanted to record the data to see how his body changed during the hike, and to see how it affected him differently than others.
“I know what I felt, but I wanted to see the data too,” he said.
There were some obvious data points. The higher Fah went, the lower the oxygen saturation in his blood.
“Duh,” he joked.
Although it wasn’t surprising, the data dramatically illustrated the impact of altitude. As Fah crossed the pass between Lobuche and Gorakshep at more than 16,000 feet, his oxygen saturation dropped below 80 percent, and his resting heart rate spiked upward. He got headaches, felt dizzy and his vision blurred. Fah slept less. None of that is atypical. In fact having your oxygen saturation drop below 80 percent for an extended period is very dangerous.
Over the week long trip, Fah slowly acclimatized to the higher elevations.  And his numbers got better, but in general, there was a direct correlation between how bad he felt and elevation gain. Beyond what he felt and what he was recording, Fah also knew that there are many studies <a href="https://www.nap.edu/read/5197/chapter/24"> on this</a>.
Out of curiosity Fah also added one other data point, he measured the oxygen saturation of three of the Sherpas helping to ferry some of the supplies for the trekkers. On average their oxygen levels were three to five percentage points higher than Fah, and they were much more comfortable.
As Andrew Murry, a physiologist at the University of Cambridge in the UK <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2017/05/28/530204187/the-science-behind-the-super-abilities-of-sherpas">recently told NPR</a>:
“You don&#8217;t need to spend very long in that part of the world to see that the people living there, particularly the Sherpas, perform extremely well at altitude — a lot better than we do.&#8221;
Over time many of us can acclimate ourselves to exertions at higher altitudes, improving our blood oxygen saturation levels, for instance. And Fah was able to see how, even in the short time he was in Nepal, his body acclimated itself to the higher elevations.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Graph-SpO2-1024x612.png" alt="" class="aligncenter wp-image-25596 size-large" width="1024" height="612" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Graph-SpO2-1024x612.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Graph-SpO2-300x179.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Graph-SpO2-768x459.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Graph-SpO2-880x526.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Graph-SpO2-1180x705.png 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Graph-SpO2.png 1388w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
Oxygen saturation (SpO2, gray line) decreased as the elevation (blue line) increased. Symptoms of altitude sickness such as headaches, blurry vision, and sleeplessness are common when SpO2 dropped below 80, between Day 5 and Day 8.
But even acclimatizing won’t entirely relieve the symptoms and it’s still difficult to predict why some people get sick, and altitudes and others do not. So Fah decided to invite others with plans to trek at elevation — 11,000 feet or higher — to record their data.
“The lesson I learn as a scientist at 23andMe is that crowd-sourcing can give us the power to make a discovery at an unprecedented rate and scale. Together we might be able to discover a way to predict and prevent altitude sickness,” he said.

Health + Traits — Page 20