Growing up, I was always told I was Italian. Knowing what kinds of things I’ve been lied to about growing up, I decided I might as well try to figure that out for myself.
So, I snagged a 23 And Me kit and I’m not exactly Italian.
I knew that part of my ancestry on my mother’s side had a collection of the UK and France, but I was unaware of the Scandinavian connection – something that’s likely on my dad’s side. He didn’t know his own father and so knows little of the genetics of his side of the family.
Now I finally know more about my background without having to make guesses or rely on pesky ‘alternative facts’ I was raised on. I know what my background is and I can truly start investigating more about my family’s history, something I’ve wanted for my entire life.
I also apparently have a high number of Neanderthal variants (one of which is associated with my height). From a health standpoint, they did not find me having any carrier status of the conditions they tested, though they do not test all variants of these conditions.
I move a lot during my sleep and additionally get less deep sleep – something 23 And Me picked up on easily. And they did say that I was predisposed to weigh more.
So that’s fun.
The rest of what they tested or showed was stuff that is relevant to the present – what tastes I’m likely to prefer, eye color, freckles, etc. There are some things that weren’t exactly correct – they say I’m likely to have lighter hair or consume less caffeine, for example.
Why 23 And Me?
One of the things that drew me to 23 And Me over other ancestry tests was that there was the health component. There was another major reason I chose them, though – research.
They have done a lot of research on chronic illnesses from IBD to lupus and more. If and when they start to do research related to conditions I have, I’ll be able to provide them a ton of already-processed data.
If you’d like to try 23 And Me, click here to use my referral link.
My ancestry fascinated me but I came across a stumbling block when a family feud meant I could find out the truth about my descendants.