Who am I? Great
question, I’d say- especially this year. You might think with my adventuring,
Myers-Briggs-ing, and recent certification as an NLP Practitioner (oh yeah, I
also did that- now taking bookings to change your life), I’d be a layer closer to
the top of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and fully self-actualized. The trouble is
(in great clichéd form), the more you know, the more you realize you don’t
know. So to combat my confusion of my present and near-in-future self, I paid
some money and did a test that would give me some cold hard facts.
This idea came about
after watching some informative TV programme examining health, where the show
spoke about a DNA test you could purchase and send off for analysis of various
traits, genetic conditions, and likely ancestral lines. Of course I didn’t even
think about it, paid my money, and a short while later had a centrifugal tube
at home to spit into.
As iterated by the
hesitancy of the presenter of the TV programme, this test has the potential to
be life changing. Not only does it tell you what eye colour (likely blue) or
ear wax type (likely wet) you should have as warm up tests to build trust in
the analysis, the test gives an indication of your genetic predisposition to
muscle performance (sprinter), responsiveness to common medical drugs
(hepatitis C treatment response reduced), and possession of genetic variants
associated with higher risk of diseases such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s
(variants absent; typical risk).
Undoubtedly many
people would worry about finding out if they carry genes for Cystic Fibrosis or
a higher likelihood of Cardiomyopathy (again, both variants absent), but if you
have the knowledge upfront, wouldn’t you choose to make some positive changes
in your life? Wouldn’t you want this information upfront to make smarter
choices? It’s often heard: if only I knew earlier… then I would have done
something differently. Well you have the ability to do that now. For me I
wasn’t worried about what the test might reveal, rather I was/ am worried about
what the company is going to do with the rest of my spit sitting in some DNA
bank at headquarters. I feel sorry for the rest of the world if they so choose
to robotocize this robot to Kristyn 2.0.
So what’s in my jeans
and in my genes?! Sigh- I know.
·
Apparently I can blame that last 6 pounds I
will never be able to lose on my genes. Building on that, I am predisposed to
getting fat from a high fat diet and am likely to have a slightly larger waist
circumference than typical. In short- I can put fat on easily. But, have a base
pairs that indicate I should easily stay within my BMI and respond well (lose
weight) to exercise. To the gym!!
·
Variant absent; typical risk for the major
genetic diseases (Alzheimer’s, Dystonia, Hypercholesterolemia, Breast Cancer,
Cardiomyopathy, Parkinson’s)- if I get these in my life, I only have myself to
blame and not my parents. Thanks Mom and Dad!
·
I (may) have a reduced response to Hepatitis
C treatment, but a typical response to other major treatment medications.
·
Variant absent for the nasty genetic diseases
you wish to not give your children.
And the fun stuff:
·
Sensitive to sweaty odors and bitter tastes
·
Increased episodic memory, meaning I don’t
forget what we’ve done together
·
High sensitivity to the sound of chewing
(misophonia), which is why you’ve probably seen me scowl at you for slurping
your soup or chomping on a carrot (a-hem).
·
High odds of detecting asparagus odor in my …
well, you know
· Less than 1% chance of having ginger genes
Furthermore and
perhaps most interestingly, the results indicate your likely origins! Bombshell
alert in the family tree! Wee-woo-wee-woo!! Not only is “an estimated 2.7% of
my DNA from Neanderthal”- which is apparently smack-dab normal for European
origin DNA (hint hint), my DNA contains 0.3% Native American DNA (that dig is
for my Grandmother) which I would think is proof enough to be too far from
obtaining Metis status, AND is mostly Italian!
What?! Someone has
some explaining to do. The breakdown is as follows:
43% of my DNA is
Southern European (Italian, Balkan, Iberian, etc), with the highest percentage
of my DNA coming from Italian ancestry (9.9%). When I was in Rome, my tour
guide said you could trace Roman ancestry through whether or not your earlobes
are attached or floppy, in my case attached- and I do tan well.
Next up is Northwestern
European @ nearly 30% of my DNA including French, German, British, Irish, and
Scandinavian. French/ German weighing heaviest at 5.5%. A bit of a relief, I’d
say with a last name of Carriere. And the Polish genes (clearly my Mom’s side) coming
in at 9.3% in the Eastern European category (coupled with Ukraine and other
such countries).
Using my best
Procrustes interpretation of the data and trying to pinpoint who is from where,
I have decided that I am composed of the following cultures:
Italian- 9.9%
Polish- 9.3%
Balkan- 8.3%
French/ German: 5.5%
Iberian- 5.5%
One step further
still is that now that my DNA is in a database, I can be linked to potential
family members. Of course the linkage depends on who has actually completed the
test, and even in the past month in which I have had the results, the number of
“cousins” has grown. Again- if you were single and looking for a life mate,
wouldn’t you want to know upfront the genetic stock you were contemplating?
At the moment the
infographic tells me that I have 421 “matches” including 1st – 6th
cousins and the bulk of which are registered as living in the east of Canada/
Northeast United States (makes sense from what I do know about my paternal
family tree). What is again in line with my paternal family tree lineage is
that when I filter to 1st – 3rd cousins, the 24 results I
am matched with are in Quebec along the St Lawrence… oh yes, and the two in
France. No Italians registered. No Polish registered. Just a bunch of knowledge
thirsty Franglais. Très intéressant, non?!
So if you are
interested in finding out what you may already know, as well as what might be
the unknown, the company that I used is called 23andme: https://www.23andme.com/en-gb/.
A bit pricey for the
test, but they offer discounts when you buy more than one kit. For me to know/
have an idea about what genes (good & bad) I might be passing on in the
future, it made the test a no-brainer; as well as being able to do what the
website says and “engage in your health care” by understanding your susceptibility
to treatments or diseases. And finally, who doesn’t want to know about the
cultures that make up who you are today- at least that knowledge makes for an
interesting chat with your grandparents the next time you see them.
