3×4 Genetics Review: Helping Health Practitioners Provide Better Care?

Overview

1. Products: DNA tests for health.
2. Cost: Not disclosed.
3. Reports: Health report.
4. Raw data access: Unclear.
5. Privacy: 3×4 Genetics claims not to share or sell user data.
6. Alternatives: SelfDecode analyzes up to 83 million genetic variants and offers personalized diet, lifestyle, and supplement recommendations based on DNA and labs.

Pros

• Offers an introduction to nutrigenomics course to practitioners
• Provides some health recommendations

Cons

• No raw DNA data upload
• Limited number of health topics covered
• Only available in the United States and South Africa
• Does not offer updates to the reports
• Does not provide scientific references in the reports

About 3×4 Genetics

3×4 Genetics is a DNA testing company founded in 2018 by Jason Haddock, former CTO of Cape Town animation studio Sea Monster, and scientist Dr. Yael Joffe.

In 2019, the company received a $2.5 million investment from the US capital fund Alethea Capital Management. As a requirement, they had to relocate their headquarters to the United States. Today, the company is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, with offices in Cape Town, South Africa.

Review of 3×4 Genetics Products & Features

3×4 Genetics offers a mouth swab DNA test through health practitioners. To get started, providers need to apply on the website to join their network of professionals. You’ll need to provide your practice’s address and phone number when signing up.

3×4 Genetics claims that after practitioners sign up to join their network, they can start offering genetic tests within 24 hours. Test kits are sent directly to the patient. The company also requires providers to take a 90-minute nutrigenomics course, which they claim helps with the interpretation of nutrigenetic results.

As it is, the company only offers one option for DNA testing, the 3×4 test, which covers a few selected health topics:

• Cellular: Includes inflammation, oxidative stress, methylation, and detoxification.
• Systems: Mood & behavior, hormone balance, bone health, and others.
• Cardiovascular health: Blood pressure, cholesterol, and others.
• Energy: Exercise response, weight, and others.
• Activity: Training response, injury, endurance, and others.
• Nutrients: Vitamin B12, folate, vitamin D, and others.

After the sample is received by the lab, it can take 3 to 4 weeks until the results are ready. It’s worth noting that 3×4 Genetics does not provide updates to the reports. The company states that any interpretation done in the past would need to be revised in accordance with advances in genetic research at the user’s expense.

Individuals who wish to get a 3×4 DNA test need to contact the company to learn if their health provider can offer the test. If not, they state they can introduce you to a 3×4 Blueprint certified practitioner.

3×4 Genetics only analyzes around 134 SNPs related to the topics mentioned before, possibly leaving out many that can affect overall health.

Are you interested in personalized health recommendations based on DNA? SelfDecode Pro Connect uses cutting-edge AI and machine learning to analyze up to 83 million genetic variants to provide the most accurate results and recommendations.

Review of 3×4 Genetics Reports

3×4 Genetics reports are delivered to practitioners as a PDF file, which they can access from the online portal.

The report is divided into four sections:

• Your Summary Plan
• Your Gene Results
• Your Story
• Glossary & Detailed Results

Your Summary Plan provides information about the three areas that may likely have the biggest impact on the user’s health. As can be seen from the sample report below, they offer a brief explanation of the trait analyzed and three recommendations for diet, lifestyle, and supplement to help with each particular issue.

Although the recommendations are descriptive enough, the report doesn’t explain how genetics play a role in each recommendation or trait. There are also no scientific references embedded in this section or elsewhere in the report.

Following this, 3×4 Genetics provides Your Gene Summary containing individual results highlighting which genes that may have a bigger impact, as can be seen below.

The next section of the report offers an overview of each category. 3×4 Genetics provides graphical representations of the results, but there is no in-depth description of how genetics affect each trait. Overall, the explanations are brief, and the company does not provide additional resources for any of the health topics covered in the report.

The sample report below shows the results for Systems and Cardiovascular Health. All eleven traits are presented together encompassing two pages, with each trait having one or two sentences explaining the genetic results.

3×4 Genetics does not offer health recommendations throughout the report. The only recommedations section is in Your Summary Plan, and they are only provided for three key aspects of the user’s health.

The report states that the healthcare practitioner can use the genetic insights alongside other environmental and lifestyle factors to help users build a personalized plan to improve health, but they do not offer much guidance on which steps to take to optimize overall well-being.

Cost of 3×4 Genetics

3×4 Genetics does not display pricing information on their website. Practitioners who want to offer these tests need to contact the company or sign up to learn more about cost. Likewise, patients are required to contact the company or a health practitioner to find out prices.

Health Recommendations from 3×4 Genetics

3×4 Genetics offers a list of three diet, lifestyle, and supplement recommendations for each of the three health topics they claim have the biggest impact on the user’s life based on genetics. However, they do not offer suggestions for other health issues covered inthe report.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that the company does not thoroughly explain how each recommendation may help said issue, nor do they provide scientific references embedded in the report.

Review of 3×4 Genetics Privacy & Data Security

3×4 Genetics claims to never sell personal information or share it with third parties, except as specified in their privacy policy.

Their partner lab retains your sample until they are sure they have accurate results to produce the report, then it’s destroyed 90 days after the company receives the results.

SelfDecode vs 3×4 Genetics

1. SelfDecode delivers natural supplement, diet, and lifestyle suggestions based on your genes that you can implement right away. 3×4 Genetics offers a few recommendations regarding some of the health topics covered in the reports, but not all.
2. SelfDecode tells you why they make each recommendation so that you can understand the science behind the suggestion. 3×4 Genetics does not explain their recommendations.
3. SelfDecode prioritizes recommendations based on their analysis of all the relevant genes instead of one gene at a time (through reports). 3×4 Genetics’ recommendations only cover the three areas they claim have the biggest impact on the user’s health according to their genes.
4. SelfDecode takes a holistic approach to give recommendations that are best for your genes AND the health topic. 3×4 Genetics claims to have a whole-body approach to health.
5. SelfDecode has a team of over 60 highly skilled scientists, MDs, PhDs, NDs, and software engineers to make sure they deliver the most accurate and science-based health information. According to their website, 3×4 Genetics’ scientific advisory board is composed of 3 MDs, 3 PhDs, and one nutritionist.
6. SelfDecode is the most comprehensive and looks at more genes & SNPs (up to 83 million) to deliver the best analysis of genetic risks. 3×4 Genetics analyzes only around 134 SNPs.
7. SelfDecode supports everything with peer-reviewed scientific studies in their research and checks for contradicting information. 3×4 Genetics does not provide scientific references in their reports.
8. SelfDecode never sells your data or gives it away. 3×4 Genetics also claims not to share user data.

Comparisons

3×4 Genetics Reviews

Unfortunately, there aren’t many 3×4 Genetics reviews online. On their Facebook page, the company received 5 out of 5 stars. However, you should bear in mind that the most recent review dates back from 2019.

Alternatives to 3×4 Genetics

SelfDecode Pro Connect: The best health-focused DNA test that provides personalized diet, lifestyle, and supplement recommendations.

3×4 Genetics Review Summary

Health practitioners can offer 3×4 Genetics’ DNA test after they apply to join their network. The reports provide insights into 36 aspects of one’s health, and it’s color-coded to make it easier to understand.

However, you should keep in mind that the company only provides recommendations for three health traits they claim are more likely to have the biggest impact on the user’s health based on their genetics. While this can help providers and users focus on topics that require more attention, it can be limiting, seeing as the other sections of the report are not as detailed and the health topics covered are not comprehensive.

For a more holistic approach to health, SelfDecode might be a good alternative. SelfDecode uses cutting-edge AI and machine learning to analyze up to 83 million genetic variants and provides personalized health recommendations on over 39 health topics.

For health practitioners, SelfDecode offers professional plans that include unlimited DNA file uploads and DNA report download so you can work with as many clients as you’d like. You’ll receive genetic insights for each client and personalized and prioritized health recommendations based on their unique DNA. You can easily build each client a health plan tailored to their genes and lab results to help them achieve optimal wellness.

Are you a health practitioner? Book a strategy call to learn how to get custom health reports based on your clients’ DNA and labs!

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