DNA Testing–is It Worth It?

My Weekly’s favourite GP from TV and radio writes for you.

- Dr Sarah Jarvis

Adverts for DNA testing are all around us these days, but should you have one?

First, a little science. You have 24 pairs of chromosomes – you inherit one of each set from each of your parents. Each of these carries many hundreds of genes, or genetic blueprints. One pair of chromosomes, the XY, determines your sex (XX are women, XY are men). The rest affect everything from your height and your hair colour to your chance of having hay fever – and the likelihood that you’ll be affected by a host of other medical conditions.