tellmeGen Review: Is it Truly a Full Service DNA Company?

Overview

1. Products: Genetic testing, counseling, and reports.
2. Cost: Approximately $89-$235 for one DNA test kit if purchased directly from tellmeGen, depending on your location. Can be found on Amazon for $100. Genetic counseling, medical consultation, and nutrition counseling include additional costs.
3. Reports: A personalized Health Map outlines predispositions to over 125 health conditions, inherited genetic disorders, unique personal traits, ancestry and pharmacologic compatibility.
4. Raw data access: Yes.
5. Privacy: tellmeGen offers a high level of confidentiality. They encrypt both collected genetic data and their web platform.
6. Alternatives: SelfDecode – The best option for health-focused DNA analysis with personalized reports and health recommendations.

Pros

• Offers virtual or in-person medical consultations, nutrigenomic consultations, and access to genetic specialists
• Comprehensive health reporting
• User-friendly reporting, with an emphasis on creating easily absorbed information

Cons

• The ancestry component is simplistic and lacks features
• Pharmacologic compatibility data is not available to users in the United States due to FDA regulations
• The website is convoluted and disorganized
• Recommendations on how to improve health are not included in the reports, only in additional consultations
• Does not include scientific studies embedded in the reports

About tellmeGen

tellmeGen is a DNA testing and DNA analysis company founded in 2014 and based in Valencia, Spain. They use microarray-based genetic mapping to provide clients with a comprehensive health map and an ancestry test.

tellmeGen provides customers with genetic counseling, nutritional counseling, and medical consultations with tellmeGen doctors and geneticists. tellmeGen aims to conduct DNA testing so that customers can receive genetic information from anywhere, and share it with their doctor.

Review of tellmeGen Products & Features

tellmeGen uses microarray technology to study more than 650,000 SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) located in the human genome. tellmeGen’s tests allow customers to discover and understand their various disease risks and health concerns. The company sells separate DNA testing kits for children (0-3 years old) and for adults.

User experience is somewhat lacking. Their website is convoluted and poorly organized. tellmeGen is a Spanish company, and seems to have some translation errors on their page.

Review of tellmeGen Reports

To view their results, users need to head over to the tellmeGen login page to access their account.

Included in the tellmeGen test results is a four-part Health Map. This report begins with information on the individual’s genetic predisposition to common diseases and illnesses. The Health Map is broken down by symptoms and risk factors compared to the typical risk of an average person of the same race, age, and gender as the customer.

Predictive Test

This information can help customers determine if they are high risk or low risk compared to the average risk for common diseases. tellmeGen claims that knowledge of disease predisposition is vital, and gives customers the tools to take preventative measures based on their personal predispositions.

Carrier Test

The following section is an identification of the customer’s inherited monogenic diseases. Such diseases are inherited disorders caused by genetic mutations and alterations, and can affect personal health. This section may highlight risks for disorders like hereditary breast cancer or porphyria. Given that these traits are inheritable, this section covers possible implications on the health of a customer’s children as well.

Pharmacogenetic Test

The third section of the Health Map is the pharmacologic test, which indicates how the customer will biologically react to and process specific drugs. This can be considered a starting point towards personalized medicine, and can streamline pharmacologic healing in combination with a professional medical opinion. Unfortunately, due to FDA regulations, this portion of the report is not available for citizens of the United States.

Traits

The last section of the Health Map reveals how a customer’s genes affect their personal traits, such as alcohol tolerance, antioxidant capacity, baldness propensity, pain sensitivity, and many more. This can be helpful information that aids the individual in understanding their body and suggests a lifestyle for optimal functionality.

Ancestry

tellmeGen is an autosomal DNA test, which analyzes the 22 pairs of autosomal chromosomes besides the X and Y sex chromosomes. According to the company, it can analyze more than 655,000 DNA sequence variations used to track biological differences as well as shared connections to relatives.

The ancestry results are simplistic, with little interactivity or depth.

Cost of tellmeGen

tellmeGen costs around $235 for one DNA test kit if purchased directly. Multiple adult test kits are available as bundles, which lowers the cost of each individual test.

Although the shipping fee is listed as “free” on their checkout, this price is for non-European customers. European customers pay a lower price (from $89 – $175) depending on their location. Kits can also be found on Amazon for $100.

tellmeGen provides genetic counseling, nutritional counseling, and medical consultations with tellmeGen doctors and geneticists. Appointments with these specialists are not included in the price of the DNA test.

Health Recommendations from tellmeGen

tellmeGen provides a profile of potential health complications that rivals other DNA testing services. The availability of in-house specialists to further analyze this health testing is an additional and cohesive benefit of tellmeGen.

Their health reports give customers a wide range of information to help them understand their risk for diseases, including inherited ones. Although, it is unclear what the scope of their recommendations is to mitigate these conditions. The reports do not include personalized suggestions to help you address your genetic predispositions.

Review of tellmeGen Privacy & Data Security

When you register a kit, you will need to agree to the informed consent agreement to continue. The document states that customers agree to allow tellmeGen to receive and analyze their DNA, and provide the results — even if those results prove to “cause situations of emotional stress.” Customers can also choose whether to allow their data to be used anonymously for research.

The kit has a 12-character alphanumeric code attached to it, and the laboratory that analyzes the kit will not have access to customer’s identifying information, including their full name. All physical samples are automatically destroyed two months following completion of testing.

SelfDecode vs tellmeGen

1. SelfDecode delivers natural supplement, diet, and lifestyle suggestions based on your genes that you can implement right away. Recommendations from tellmeGen are given through medical consultations, nutrigenomic consultations, and access to genetic specialists at an extra cost, but not included in the reports.
2. SelfDecode tells you why they make each recommendation so that you can understand the science behind the suggestion. tellmeGen does not give recommendations but does offer genetic counseling.
3. SelfDecode prioritizes recommendations based on their analysis of all the relevant genes instead of one gene at a time (through reports). tellmeGen has one report which gives you all the information in one place, and you must consult with their specialists to get recommendations.
4. 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, tellmeGen has 12 PhDs, doctors, and software engineers on their team.
5. SelfDecode takes a holistic approach to give recommendations that are best for your genes AND the health topic. tellemeGen’s specialists are responsible for making recommendations, and it is not known what method they use to make them.
6. SelfDecode is the most comprehensive and looks at more genes & SNPs (over 83 million) to deliver the best analysis of genetic risks. tellmeGen analyzes 650,000 SNPs, and customers are left to decide for themselves what to do with this information.
7. SelfDecode supports everything with peer-reviewed scientific studies in their research and checks for contradicting information. tellmeGen’s report data is backed by scientific research, but they do not appear to include it in the reports.
8. SelfDecode never sells your data or gives it away. tellmeGen customers have the option to allow their data to be used anonymously for research.

Comparisons

tellmeGen Reviews

Amazon Reviews (1900+ customers) – 4.1 of 5 stars

Some customers who reviewed the tellmeGen kit after purchasing it on Amazon have expressed satisfaction with the health reporting, while others have complained about the poor customer service and lackluster ancestry information.

ReviewMeta backs up the Amazon review rating of 4.1 of 5 stars correcting for what they believe are reviews from confirmed purchasers of the kits.

Several sites have listed tellmeGen as a top DNA testing service for health reporting such as imore.com, sciencetimes.com, dnaweekly.com, and verywellhealth.com. However, these articles are only the opinion of each particular writer.

There are several discussions on Reddit where the commenters generally indicate they don’t find the results of tellmeGen’s tests to be very accurate.

Alternatives to tellmeGen

SelfDecode: The best option for health-focused DNA analysis with personalized reports and recommendations to improve your quality of life.

tellmeGen Review Summary

tellmeGen claims to offer a complete package, with both ancestry results and health/medical testing and at a single price. However, the service is more focused on providing a long list of health traits and medical conditions with ample detail. The ancestry component is treated more as an afterthought.

If you’re looking for information about your genetics and traits, then you will get an ample amount of detail from tellmeGen’s reports. What is lacking are the recommendations on how to then improve your health based on this information. Medical, nutrigenomic, and genetic consultations with tellmeGen’s doctors may provide some recommendations, but at an extra cost.

An alternative such as SelfDecode provides you a more affordable option with science-backed and comprehensive holistic health reports in addition to completely personalized diet, supplement, and lifestyle recommendations to help you take control of your health.

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