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23andMe Will Stop Providing Health Info with Genetic Results

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dna molecule in test tube
Direct-to-consumer genetic tests have shortcomings, experts say. (Image credit: Chepko Danil Vitalevich | Shutterstock)

The genetic testing company 23andMe says it will stop providing health information to customers as part of its test results.

The announcement comes a little more than a week after the Food and Drug Administration told the company to stop marketing its DNA testing kits, partly out of concern that health-related results could be inaccurate or misinterpreted by consumers.

23andMe will continue to provide results related to ancestry, and raw genetic data without interpretation, but will not provide health-related data to new customers until the FDA has reviewed its service.

"We remain firmly committed to fulfilling our long-term mission to help people everywhere have access to their own genetic data and have the ability to use that information to improve their lives," Anne Wojcicki, co-founder and CEO of 23andMe, said in a statement.

Previous customers will still have access to their health-related results.

Rachael Rettner
Rachael Rettner
Contributor

Rachael is a Live Science contributor, and was a former channel editor and senior writer for Live Science between 2010 and 2022. She has a master's degree in journalism from New York University's Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program. She also holds a B.S. in molecular biology and an M.S. in biology from the University of California, San Diego. Her work has appeared in Scienceline, The Washington Post and Scientific American.