Expectations have been high that giving people information about their genetic risk will empower them to change their behaviour, but we have found no evidence that this is the case.
- Theresa Marteau
Researchers at the Behaviour and Health Research Unit analysed a number of studies that looked at whether testing an individual’s DNA for genetic variants that increased their risk of developing so-called ‘common complex diseases’ influenced their health-related behaviour. Complex diseases are those such as heart disease, most cancers and diabetes, where no single gene causes the disease, but rather it is the interaction of dozens – possibly hundreds – of genes together with an individual’s environment and behaviour that leads to the disease.
Genome sequencing – reading an individual’s entire DNA – has opened up the potential to provide individuals with information on whether or not they carry genes known to increase their risk of disease. Such tests are controversial – knowing that an individual carries these variants does not mean that individual will develop the disease; however, proponents argue that if an individual knows that he or she is at a greater risk of a particular disease, they can make an informed decision about whether or not to change their behaviour.
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Image: Alineando secuencias (cropped)
Credit: Shaury Nash
Reproduced courtesy of the University of Cambridge
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