WHAT’S IN OUR GENES?

Genetic-testing kits have become hot-selling items as gifts in recent years. For a reasonable cost, individuals can learn about their ancestry. A brother requested posts about controversial subjects. This might be one! Although I’ve neither given nor received a kit, I looked into the process and formed an opinion.

As a boomer growing up in Edmonton AB, I remember being asked my nationality: Scottish and English on my father’s side. I didn’t think to ask about my mother’s background and was in my 50s before knowing my maternal grandmother was born and raised in Ireland. I still don’t know if she met her English husband, who served in WWI, overseas or in Manitoba after emigrating to Canada.

At the time I didn’t pay much attention to nationality, ancestry, ethnicity or race. Later I grew to understand my response should have been Canadian. My parents were both born in Canada, as were my siblings and I. Many friends answered Ukrainian to the same question yet were at least one generation removed from any ancestors born in “the” Ukraine, as it was commonly called until declaring itself an independent state in 1991.

In the ’90s a relative met with two brothers and me to show us her genealogical research on the McPhails — my introduction to family trees. To my astonishment, I did not appear on the tree. We quickly corrected that branch. Decades later, in keeping with advice to explore unfamiliar activities in retirement, I attended a workshop at the library on tracing our ancestors through online resources. However, I realized my interest in genealogy extends only to knowing how many generations I am proudly Canadian. A distant cousin provided the answer: six on my paternal grandmother’s side, my third great-grandfather having been born in 1797 in Springville NS.

ANCESTRY TESTS

What’s the purpose of DNA testing and genealogy? Obtaining new information about my ancestry will not alter my nature. Any inherent traits from obscure ancestors have long been diluted to the point of negligibility. In fact, I place more credence in nurture than nature. And what about the danger of digging up dirt? People have found out their father or mother isn’t their biological parent, or they’ve discovered surprising and disagreeable relations. At this stage, I don’t want to unlock any skeletons in my closet.

Still, millions buy the product, often using AncestryDNA, and conduct the research to:

• develop a new hobby;
• build a detailed, extensive family tree;
• locate previously unidentified relatives from around the world;
• make new friends;
• visit ancestral birthplaces; and
• show their heritage through food and customs.

HEALTH TESTS

Some individuals go a step further. In 2017 the Food and Drug Administration approved the first home DNA tests that let people find out if they have a genetic risk for certain diseases. This decision allows 23andMe to market its tests for ten diseases, including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and Celiac.

To be healthy, we’re told to eat nutritiously, stay fit, live in the moment, eliminate negativity, minimize stress. In other words, to age well we must live well — regardless of any potential health challenges. My maternal grandmother died with Parkinson’s disease, maybe putting me at a slight risk. But I don’t plan to take a test to prove or disapprove a predisposition. Anticipating when a particular illness might befall me seems a recipe for unwelcome anxiety.

Moreover, professional scientific skeptics contend the reports may not be wholly accurate. The results may wind up frightening rather than empowering people, perhaps even leading them to make questionable health decisions.

Privacy may be another concern. Genetic testing companies claim to enforce strict policies and procedures to protect customers’ information. For research purposes, however, some give drug companies access to the genetic information on an anonymous basis. (Advancing research offers one compelling reason to entertain a test.) And what about electronic data theft? Individuals should determine their level of comfort around privacy issues before submitting their personal, genetic information to a testing company.

I’ve decided against taking ancestry and health tests. I invite readers to share their views on this topic. •