Direct-to-consumer genetic tests are coming your way as the FDA loosens regulations, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The FDA cracked down on Genetic Health Risk (GHR) tests in 2013, requiring every test from every company to be approved separately, effectively limiting the home health test industry.
In April, the FDA gave the green light to a test for breast and ovarian cancer risk made by 23andMe.
FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb says the FDA is working to make the process to approve similar tests more efficient.
Proponents of this kind of testing say that it helps give people power over their own health. It can also give them access to these tests without the need to visit an expensive genetic counselor that specializes in such medicine. If the tests come back positive, the patient will have a more precise starting point with medical professionals.
Critics warn that the tests paint an incomplete picture of a person's true risk and that interpreting genetic results is still a complicated process.
Nonetheless, the loosening of regulations will give people direct access to saliva-swab testing for a host of diseases. In April 2017, the FDA approved GHR testing by 23andMe for 10 conditions:
* Parkinson's disease.
* Late-onset Alzheimer's disease.
*Celiac disease.
*Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, a disorder that raises the risk of lung and liver disease.
* Early-onset primary dystonia, a movement disorder involving involuntary muscle contractions.
* Factor XI deficiency, a blood clotting disorder.
* Gaucher disease type 1, an organ and tissue disorder.
* Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase deficiency, also known as G6PD, a red blood cell condition.
* Hereditary hemochromatosis, an iron overload disorder.
* Hereditary thrombophilia, a blood clot disorder.
