What healthy people can learn from getting their genome sequenced.
This article is featured in the Genome spring 2016 issue.
Michael Snyder never saw it coming. Healthy, trim, and active at age 54, the Stanford geneticist decided to undergo whole genome sequencing (WGS) in 2010, when the technology was just being established at his university. Snyder figured he’d be a “guinea pig” for WGS not only to satisfy his own curiosity, but because, at the time, “a lot of people were concerned about people’s ability to handle that information.”
What Snyder, director of the Stanford Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine, couldn’t have known was that secrets revealed by his DNA would pose astonishing health challenges in his own life. Sequencing exposed gene mutations predisposing him to type 2 diabetes — a condition entirely at odds with his physique and lifestyle. This knowledge prompted him to diligently track his blood sugar levels for months afterward, revealing drastic glucose spikes in real time.
Careful dietary tweaks and an uptick in exercise have since helped him keep his diabetes largely in check. Snyder also shared the genetic information with his five siblings, four of whom underwent testing that indicated elevated glucose levels.
“It came out of nowhere for me,” says Snyder, now 60, whose sequencing results also have him on the alert for developing the skin cancer basal cell carcinoma. “I view getting whole genome sequencing as a more active way of getting your family history.”
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Genome Magazine‘s mission is to explore the world of personalized medicine and the genomic revolution that makes it possible, empowering you to make informed health decisions that will help you live better and longer.
