Best DNA Tests
Whether it's for health reasons or curiousity, DNA testing is quite popular. But is it right for you? We delve into the best tests and what to know about testing.
When choosing where to test one’s DNA, consider the goal of testing. Do we want health results, discoveries about our origins, or both? Then factor in the price and services offered.
It is best to test at many companies, but if you can only afford one test at a time, where should you begin? Here’s what our professional genealogist recommends:
Include your extended family in this process. Decide which family members to test first (generally the oldest frailest) with the extended family covering expenses. Over time, more family members can test. Each child inherits a different sampling of parents’ genes, so it pays to have all siblings test, as well as cousins, aunts, and uncles.
DNA testing companies do offer big discounts on holidays and flash sales, especially around Father’s Day and Mother’s Day.
A DNA kit stays fresh for at least a year if stored in a cool and dry place, so take advantage of sales. DNA kits make wonderful gifts, but be certain recipients have no objection to DNA testing before ordering. If you have family members concerned about privacy they may refuse to test and you do not want to create awkwardness.
There are other reliable companies that offer DNA testing, but these often focus narrowly--some only offer health assessments, for example. Others focus on specific populations. They lack the large databases bigger companies have built up. A large database is essential for family origin purposes.
Our results will be slightly different if we test at more than one company. This is because each company uses different algorithms in analyzing our DNA.
Evaluated is reader-supported, so this post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click on our links to make a purchase, we may make a commission at no cost to you.
Things to Consider Before Testing:
All companies say our data is anonymized and securely stored. But experts warn that anonymized results are easily re-identified and can be linked to us. Some people fear DNA testing invades their privacy or gives government and business too much control over our lives. There is very little privacy in this world. While health insurance companies can, for the most part, no longer deny coverage due to risk or pre-existing conditions, life insurance companies do actually use DNA testing to deny coverage or cancel existing policies. It happened to two of our team members who underwent testing for the BRCA genetic mutation due to a high rate of cancer deaths in the family. These are important things to discuss with your doctor.
LAW ENFORCEMENT INCREASINGLY USES DNA TESTING
Others worry about how law enforcement uses DNA to track down criminals. If somebody wanted to analyze our DNA they can obtain a sample easily and without our knowledge.
A detective follows around a suspect for weeks and grabs a used cigarette butt from the ground to collect his DNA to solve a case. Police are typically utilizing DNA research to pursue dangerous criminals, not hunt down somebody with a speeding ticket. That relative may be your cousin, but if he is a serial killer do you really want to protect him?
On the bright side, DNA can help ensure justice is served. Cold cases from decades ago are being solved through DNA. Prisoners who were jailed for a crime they did not commit are increasingly being exonerated through DNA research.
YOUR ETHNICITY MAY SURPRISE YOU
Ethnicity results are especially troubling to DNA newbies. DNA does not lie. If our results say we have Iberian ancestors and Grandpa said we are Swedish, Grandpa is the one in error. Ethnicity is a social definition based on current political realities. The world was far different in the past. One’s paper family tree says we are Scots, but DNA may reveal that those Scots were originally Vikings.
FAMILY SECRETS MAY BE REVEALED
DNA will also reveal non-paternity events in our past, and this can be disconcerting. The stories continue to surface about family members discovering their parents aren’t their biological parents, or that they have half-siblings around the world. A non-paternity event can be sperm donation, adoption or foster parentage, adultery, incest, rape, or even being switched in the maternity ward of a careless hospital.
IN CONCLUSION:
DNA science can be hard to understand. While we await our test results it is a good idea to do some reading to prepare us to better understand those results. An excellent book to consult would be The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy by Blaine T. Bettinger. It is written in easily understood language and explains the terms and concepts we need to comprehend the exciting results that will soon arrive.
DNA testing is well worth the expense, say those who have done it. It offers the potential to improve our lives and those of our descendants. It can open new worlds of understanding. Even when it brings us surprises it can enrich and deepen our sense of self.
Which Test Should I Buy?
When purchasing through Amazon, only buy a DNA test from the company who makes it, not a third party reseller. For example, if you were going to purchase an AncestryDNA test, verify that your product "Ships From Amazon," and is Sold By AncestryDNA Official. Many third-party sellers may be selling old or stolen kits that may not even be eligible to be used.
Avoid off-brand companies. They might offer a cheap price for a kit, but their advertising does not say the buyer must then pay more to have the sample actually tested at a lab. Or the lab offers no database to upload results to and no explanation of one’s results.
When it comes to DNA testing, you really do get what you pay for!
Below is an analysis of some of the top-selling DNA tests on the market:
AncestryDNA:
For family origin, we recommend starting DNA testing with AncestryDNA’s autosomal test. AncestryDNA is a perennial favorite because of its database of over 18 million test subjects, its price, the ease of understanding one’s results, the historical context it offers, and the ability to link one’s DNA to its huge collection of family trees.
A big database of subscribers allows us to compare ourselves to more people. Autosomal tests such as AncestryDNA’s enable one to find lots of relatives on both sides of one’s family going back 5-8 generations. It does not provide the long ago results of other types of testing.
For those just starting out in family history or health it is a useful beginning. AncestryDNA finds matches and grades those matches for us, presenting them in easily interpreted and sorted tables. A match is someone with whom we share similar DNA.
AncestryDNA users report finding hundreds or thousands of matches—relatives from eighth cousins to siblings and parents. Ancestry offers a messaging service to contact these matches. Its traits feature predicts physical and other tendencies we may have. AncestryDNA’s kit is spit in the tube. It can be difficult to generate enough saliva to fill the little tube, especially for the elderly.
Which AncestryDNA test to buy? We tried Ethnicity + Traits Test.
*We recommend skipping the Ethnicity + World Explorer option (not shown below) because you pay more for it but do not get the Traits. If you are interested in an Ancestry.com membership, get that separately. You will likely be disappointed that you paid more for a membership but didn't get the full test.
No products found. |