HEALTH TOPICS 
Should you try a home genetic test kit?
A direct-to-consumer test can uncover risks for developing some diseases. But will it help you improve your health?
Image: © pe-art/Thinkstock
What if you could take a test at home to predict your risk of getting certain diseases, like Alzheimer's or Parkinson's? It's a question you may face now that the FDA has given the green light to third-party direct-to-consumer (DTC) test kits that look for genetic risk information.
"Increasingly, people want to explore their own medical data," says Dr. Robert Green, a Harvard Medical School professor and geneticist at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital, who studies the medical, behavioral, and economic outcomes associated with genomic medicine (for more about his work, visit www.genomes2people.org).
Subscribe to Harvard Health Online for immediate access to health news and information from Harvard Medical School.
- Research health conditions
- Check your symptoms
- Prepare for a doctor's visit or test
- Find the best treatments and procedures for you
- Explore options for better nutrition and exercise
New subscriptions to Harvard Health Online are temporarily unavailable. Click the button below to learn about our other subscription offers.