When it comes to DNA tests, the most traditional and common way is to go to a medical centre to provide samples of either our blood or cheek cells via swabs to a doctor or specialist.
A major factor which probably stopped a lot of us from finding out our ancestry was the cost.
However, with advances in technology, we are now fortunate enough to be able to do a DNA test right in the comfort of our homes probably at a much cheaper cost!
One of the most popular home DNA test kits is CircleDNA with its premium kit which we got the chance to review after the company had sent us the product to us for review upon request.
A breakdown of how it works and whether or not it’s worth it
CircleDNA has 4 types different DNA test kits which offers you different reports on what you’d like to find out about yourself.
This includes:
- Vital DNA Test (RM790) – gives you diet, exercise, and lifestyle insights in over 125 reports,
- Health DNA Test (RM2,090) – lets you know your health risks early in 115 reports,
- Family Planning DNA Test (RM2,090) – offers information on inherited conditions that may be passed on to your unborn child in over 163 reports,
- Premium DNA Test (RM2,590) – a comprehensive DNA test kit that gives you over 500 reports and insights into your ancestral roots, health, diet, family planning, and more.
We got to try the Premium DNA test kit, which came in a small, sleek black box which included instructions on how to go about it as well as swab test.
All you need to do is swab your inner cheek with the swab, put it in sealed tube and send it back to them to their designated laboratory.
We would also need to register a profile on the CircleDNA app and register the serial number of our sealed tube.
Free shipping is provided both ways and within a couple of weeks, we finally received our results!
Comprehensive results in over different 20 categories
The results are broken down into a few main categories such as ‘Diet & Lifestyle’, ‘Ancestry Composition’, ‘Early Detection’, ‘Talents & Sports Performance’, ‘Genetic Blueprint’, ‘Family Planning’, ‘Health & Disease’ as well as ‘Drug Response’.
‘Ancestry Composition’ is a breakdown on your ancestry and your background.
Meanwhile the ‘Diet & Lifestyle’ category has insights on your diet, nutrition, stress and sleep, pollution, skin and well-being.
Furthermore, the test can also show you your personality traits, behavioural traits, success traits and your affinity for sports and fitness and music and dance!
The inspiration behind the test
Apart from reviewing the product, we also managed to interview the founder of CircleDNA Danny Yeung who told us what inspired him to work on the product was after he found out that he carries a genetic mutation associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer at 37.
“It was a complete shock to me because I do not have a family history of cancer. I immediately did a lot of research to understand more about Colon cancer and what I can do to prevent it.”
He went on to switch to a healthier diet which included cutting out red meat from his diet and started exercising.
“By taking such steps, I have already reduced my risk significantly. As if I had not known my risk, I would have just lived my life not knowing and knowledge is power,” he said.
He then founded the company called Prenetics in 2014 by alongside his scientific co-founder Lawrence Tzang.
“We have grown from a boutique Hong Kong genetic testing laboratory with 11 employees to a global leading diagnostics and genetic testing company. In July 2019, we launched CircleDNA in 2019 after many years of research and development,” he added,
Yeung said that the reason he started it was because he really wanted to use his entrepreneurial experience to create an impact in society, which has been proven to be successful as CircleDNA has had over 600,000+ users globally!
Meanwhile, in the future, Yeung explained that Prenetics plans to expand its business in the areas of telehealth, primary care clinics and fertility business and cancer genomics through strategic acquisition.
“The synergies will be able to provide the company the tools needed to achieve its vision in building the world’s first global end-to-end healthcare ecosystem.”
The CircleDNA test kit can be purchased on their website. Check out their Facebook and Instagram for more information.
Have you tried it? What do you think of it?
Also read: See Through Your Struggles: Clarence Wong X Pott Glasses Exhibition Raises Mental Health Awareness
