On the other hand, where it was a novelty for my family, it has ruined others... so make sure it's a door you want to open. ;)
What do you mean by "ruined others"?
I don't think 23andme is currently reporting on health risks anymore until they get things cleared with the FDA, though, and the other reports they currently offer are not really useful. You still have access to the raw data, though, and can use a third party like https://www.snpedia.com/index.php/Promethease to analyze the data. It will generate a report for you, but remember these reports will try to link your SNPs to pretty much any studies available, even when there is very little evidence or low confidence of the interpretation. Don't take most of the results seriously unless it is well studied and well established. This may be difficult to determine sometimes unless you have a background in science or medicine, and it is a good idea to consult a medical professional first if there is something that you think is significant and concerns you.
Seems to me like that would be the ideal solution for you.
I say this as a person who sysadminned a genetics lab, so my scientific knowledge of the subject is limited, but I did see the practical issues around the industry.
Most likely, the biggest cost of using 23andme is not evident yet. But as some others have touched on, I could easily see it becoming a prerequisite for health insurance in the near future. Do you really want to give up this data now, without any idea the impact it may have on your financial situation in 10 years?
Obviously there's no right answer to that question but it's worth considering.
> It is true that 23andMe’s big moneymaker is consumer data, not consumer DNA testing kits. Black said that more than 80 percent of 23andMe’s two million-plus customers consent to having their data used for research.
https://gizmodo.com/23andme-is-selling-your-data-but-not-how...
Finding specific gene data was also cool, but disappointing. If you know that a certain gene is defective, there's no way of knowing if your C should be a G, and a lot of gene markers aren't even findable. It's like a mostly-complete index for a book that's 25% written, and 5% of that is flat out wrong. So the health stuff was disappointing. I do feel, though, that obtaining the service was a step in the right direction for the industry someday getting this right.
As it gains critical mass, it's a great resource for connecting with second cousins as, if your family is like mine, older generations grew apart and want to reconnect.
For me it groups British & Irish together, which makes sense if we're considering genetic ancestry, not geographic/societal. For example German and French are also grouped together for the same reason.
