[eventhough]

I've always wondered what good it would do me to know that I have a certain percentage chance of getting Alzheimer or Parkinson disease. In some situations I could understand the use (certain highly predictable cancers), but in most cases I don't see the point.

I already live a healthy lifestyle. I eat right. I don't smoke. I exercise 2-3 times a week. I don't think I could try much harder.

To me it's kind of like trying to figure out when I'm going to die. Why do I want to know this? Just let me live my life.

These are some reasons why I don't think people buy these kinds of tests. That and the fact that it costs $500!

[hnhg]

A former colleague of mine was working on an EU project to gauge what outcomes this technology would have. The Medical Associations were and are objecting to it being rushed into the public domain without regulation. The Doctors themselves don't have the knowledge to interpret what those results might mean for you in the long-term and the scope for over-diagnosis is huge. And a market for quacks in this field is also sadly inevitable.

From what I hear this is also turning out to be the opinion from US health professionals. Though I guess the health insurance companies would love this technology...