20160316 - genetic tests

Genetic Tests Results: 

Do They Change Your Behavior?

by Cari Nierenberg, Live Science Contributor   |   March 15, 2016 07:30pm ET

You can't change your genes, but you can change your behavior, right? Well, a new study finds that people who have a genetic test result that tells them they are at higher risk for lung cancer or heart disease aren't likely to change their health behaviors anyway.
Researchers in England found that providing people with information about their estimated genetic risk for developing certain diseases, such as diabetes, lung cancer, skin cancer or heart disease, had little or no effect on their health-related behavior, according to the study, published today (March 15) in the journal The BMJ.
The results from genetic tests were just not a factor that motivated people to change their lifestyle habits, especially when it came to quitting smoking and getting more exercise, the study showed.

For example, smokers who found out they had an increased genetic risk of developing lung cancer were not more motivated to stop smoking than those who were not told they had a higher genetic risk of lung cancer. And telling middle-aged men and women they were more likely to develop diabetes did not appear to encourage them to begin a regular exercise program, according to the study.
These findings were not surprising, said Theresa Marteau, lead author of the study and a professor of behavior and health at the University of Cambridge in England. Other studies have shown that communicating information about perceived risk generally has a small impact on the types of health behaviors that were evaluated in this review study, namely, smoking, physical inactivity and diet, she said. [9 Healthy Habits You Can Do in 1 Minute (Or Less)]
In the review study, the researchers analyzed data collected from 18 different studies of more than 6,100 adults ages 30 to 56. The studies all involved one group of participants who received personalized, DNA-based estimates of their disease risk for conditions whose risk could be reduced by behavior change, compared with a second group who did not learn their disease risk from genetic testing.

 http://www.livescience.com/54062-genetic-tests-results-dont-change-your-behavior.html
 http://www.genesinlife.org/testing-services/testing-genetic-conditions