If you’re one of the millions of people who has had their DNA sequenced by 23andMe or Ancestry, then you’re in luck—InsideTracker is here to help you put that genetic information to work. InsideTracker's platform not only analyze your DNA, but it puts it into context of your current health status by combining it with your most recent blood test data.
This product offering is the culmination of many years of effort—the result of countless hours of teamwork, rigorous scientific interrogation and brilliant creativity. And, it’s something that we here at InsideTracker are uniquely positioned to do, combining our expertise in blood biomarker analysis with DNA analysis and the power of personalized nutrition and lifestyle recommendations.
The power of DNA+Blood
For people who already have their DNA sequenced with 23andMe or Ancestry, this powerful product is available as an add-on to any InsideTracker blood test purchase. DNA+blood combines and compares your blood biomarker results with your DNA results to reveal your genetic potential for ten areas of wellness: hormone balance, metabolism, fitness, recovery, endurance, inflammation, sleep, heart health, cognition, and gut health.
This is an incredibly powerful way to view your body’s inner workings and optimize your wellness. Why? Because while your genetic code remains unchanging, your genes are not your destiny. DNA can give you an indication of your body’s predisposition or potential for certain wellness traits such as sleep, weight, and aging, but in most cases, it’s how you interact with your environment that really drives the manifestation of your genetic potential.
Your blood biomarkers, on the other hand, are constantly shifting in response to your nutrition, fitness, and lifestyle choices. Blood biomarkers paint a picture of your body’s response to your environment, and as any veteran InsideTracker user knows, that picture can be improved over time by following personalized nutrition and lifestyle recommendations. It's the personalization of these recommendations that gets even more precise when both blood and DNA are part of the analysis.
How it works
Put your existing DNA data from 23andMe or Ancestry to work in a few easy steps:
- Simply purchase any InsideTracker blood test and select the DNA Results Upload add-on option.
- Follow the instructions to upload your DNA data.
- Voila! Once your blood test results are available, you will receive a personalized DNA+blood analysis. It includes easy-to-read summary information on your genetic risk and potential for 38 wellness traits. And you can also download your DNA Report which provides further detail to 10 healthspan-related traits, including your exact risk and potential percentile, and lifestyle habits to overcome your genetic odds.
- It doesn’t end there: Once you’ve uploaded your DNA data, you’ll receive a new analysis each time you get a new InsideTracker blood test! Your DNA doesn't change, but your blood does, and this is a great way to compare your genetic potential to how your body is actually performing over time.
How does it work on our side? First, our proprietary algorithm analyzes your DNA data, then reviews your blood test data, and ultimately combines your DNA and blood test results into an ultra-personalized analysis available in-app and on the web dashboard.
Here's what DNA+blood will reveal
Your personalized report will reveal your genetic potential for up to 38 different wellness and performance traits by analyzing over 20,000 genetic biomarkers and combining that information with your latest blood test results. The exact number of traits and number of markers analyzed will depend on when your DNA was sequenced by 23andMe or Ancestry (the short of it: early users of these platforms had their DNA sequenced on earlier-generation chips, which results in fewer markers available for analysis; more recent users have a greater number of markers available).
Scores for traits: Your report will also combine multiple related genetic markers into “genetic scores” for certain wellness and performance traits, such as glucose, blood lipids, and athletic type (endurance vs. power, pictured below). In the case that your DNA data is missing certain genetic markers, InsideTracker will only provide genetic scores in cases where there are enough markers to do so (80% confidence).
DNA-only traits: Some traits are based only on your genes, and do not include blood test data, such as grip strength or visceral fat. As with all of our analyses, these results are based on rigorous analysis of peer-reviewed scientific literature.
Blood biomarkers: Some genetic markers are paired with specific blood biomarkers, such as cholesterol levels and ApoB. In these cases, your report will reveal your most recent blood test result and compare it to your DNA.
Backed by science and years of research
DNA has been a hot topic for a while, but we never jump on a trend until we’re sure that our approach is as scientifically sound as possible. That’s why our team was hard at work our DNA+blood product for over three years.
Here’s an overview of what went into creating it:
Review: Rigorous scientific analysis of over 20,000 commonly researched genetic markers, using peer-reviewed research.
Selection: From markers, we selected 261 genetic markers that are most strongly backed by research and relevant to the InsideTracker user population goals.
Combination: We combined related genetic markers into proprietary genetic scores for traits such as athletic type and blood lipids (cholesterol).
Customization: We used sophisticated data science to determine which genetic information could be applied to user DNA data from either 23andMe or Ancestry.
Criteria: For all genetic markers selected, our science team required that the related research must include:
- At least one study and one replication study.
- A study must include a total of at least 1,000 subjects and no less than 100 subjects (larger sample size in studies is associated with more statistically significant results).
- For many genetic markers, our science team reviewed strong GWAS (Genome-Wide Association Studies), which include thousands or hundreds of thousands of subjects.
Want to learn more? Check out this blog post, where we dive into the science behind DNA+blood in much greater detail. In the meantime, feel free to contact our awesome team with any questions about how it all works – or head on over to the store and put your genetic data to work right away, by selecting the DNA add-on option to any blood test at checkout!
