The answers to the questions of why only some people get funny-smelling urine after eating asparagus, develop Alzheimer's in old age or sneeze when looking at the sun depends on their genome.
Now anybody with a credit card and Internet access can order a test purporting to demystify their DNA.
Saturday afternoon, three experts discussed the implications of widely available genetic testing at an event co-sponsored by the American River College Lecture and Concert Series and California Community Colleges Biological Technologies Initiative.
The event at American River College drew several hundred listeners, with different agendas but a unified desire to learn more about the role of genes in their past, present and future. Some were wondering about their ancestry.
"When I was younger everybody used to say I had Asian features, so I'm wondering if I'm part Asian," said 60-year-old Richard Chabowski, describing himself as half Polish and half hillbilly.
Others were wondering about genetic testing's ability to detect and predict disease.
Tammy Helenske, 42, said no doctor could determine why she is sensitive to certain medications. "Then I did some research, ordered a test and confirmed that it was a genetic defect," she said. "It literally changed my life."
The experts on Saturday represented the two sectors of the genetic testing industry: one that provides services directly, the other through health care providers.
Representing the direct-to consumer side was Andro Hsu from 23andMe, a company that charges $400 for genetic testing. After a spit sample and several weeks, users go online and explore everything from their genealogy to their chances of colon cancer.
For example, the company recently determined there is no relation between Warren and Jimmy Buffett.
While companies like 23andMe have harnessed cutting- edge technology and the public's thirst for information, they might be jumping to conclusions, said Isaac Kohane, a Harvard Medical School professor who studies genetic research but was not a speaker.
"They are doing it in a roughshod way," he said. "It cannot be overstated how little we know about the genome and how much error there is in our genomic databases."
One of the reasons companies like 23andMe are thriving, Kohane said, is that most doctors don't know much about genetic testing.
Genetic counselors can fill the gap, said Kelly Ormond, director of Stanford University's genetic counseling program.
Genetic counselors, who usually work in hospitals, use a different approach from 23andMe. Rather than trying to paint a complete picture for the consumer, genetic counselors interview patients on their histories and habits before ordering disease-specific tests.
Genetic counselors are rare - there are only about 3,000 in the United States - and usually work at teaching hospitals.
Ormond said that in the Sacramento region, only Kaiser Permanente and UC Davis offer genetic counseling services.
"The bottom line is it's about improving health," said the third speaker, Lynn Dowling, citing the example of a man who lost 15 pounds after finding out he was at increased risk for diabetes.
"Sometimes the genetic testing is just that added incentive."
Call The Bee's Anna Tong, (916) 321-1045.
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