23andMe just got the OK to tell you if you have an increased risk of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other diseases
Up until now, 23andMe was able to provide health reports that showed whether you carried a variant for a genetic disease that could get passed down to your child, along with wellness reports that gave you information about caffeine consumption and lactose intolerance.
"Consumers can now have direct access to certain genetic risk information," Dr. Jeffrey Shuren, the FDA's director of the Center for Devices and Radiological Health said in a news release. "But it is important that people understand that genetic risk is just one piece of the bigger puzzle, it does not mean they will or won't ultimately develop a disease."
In November 2013, the FDA barred 23andMe from sending any of that data related to health to customers because of concerns that the company was misrepresenting genetic tests as medical advice.
On Thursday, the FDA said there are 10 tests 23andMe can include:
- Parkinson's disease
- Late-onset Alzheimer's disease
- Celiac disease
- Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency
- Early-onset primary dystonia
- Factor XI deficiency
- Gaucher disease type 1
- Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase deficiency
- Hereditary hemochromatosis
- Hereditary thrombophilia