Beware of tests offering to make “personalized” lifestyle recommendations.

The consumer genetics market is booming. In 2017, the number of people who took direct-to-consumer ancestry tests more than doubled, reaching over 12 million customers.

The at-home DNA testing craze is quickly expanding outside of ancestry, too. A wave of new tests claim to make all sorts of personalized lifestyle recommendations—from skincare products to diet—based on your genes. But experts say that while genetics certainly underpins many of our characteristics, there’s little scientific evidence that the genetic element of these tests makes the interventions they recommend especially effective.

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