The Doctors Test with MyHeritage DNA Health+Ancestry

MyHeritage DNA was just featured on the Emmy-Award-winning daytime talk show The Doctors, as the hosts were presented with their MyHeritage DNA Health+Ancestry test results, which include detailed information regarding their genetic risks. 

The Doctors strives to enlighten viewers with simple ways to achieve and maintain good health. One of the show’s main goals is to empower its viewers with knowledge that may enhance their well-being — and that’s precisely what the MyHeritage DNA Health+Ancestry aims to do. Learning about how your genes may affect your risk of developing certain medical conditions or passing them on to your children can empower you to make better health and lifestyle choices, which may improve your future well-being.

MyHeritage genetics consultant, Jessica Greenwood, MS, LGC, joined the show’s hosts — ER physician Dr. Travis Stork, plastic surgeon and reconstructive surgery expert Dr. Andrew Ordon, and Dr. Judy Ho to share their results with them. 

Watch the full segment here:

The MyHeritage DNA Health+Ancestry test provides easy-to-understand health reports that can help to explain your genetic risk for numerous health conditions. The results also include the genealogy insights from the original MyHeritage DNA test: a detailed ethnicity breakdown, matching to relatives based on shared DNA, a chromosome browser, and more. 

Here is what we revealed to the hosts on air: 

Dr. Ordon

Dr. Ordon was pleased to see that his results show a slightly decreased risk of developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

He also discovered his ethnic makeup: 49.2% East European, 24.8% North and West European, and 18.7% Baltic.

Given that his family was born and raised in Poland, it was reaffirming for him to see his roots in his ethnicity results. “This was cool to discover! I’ve even visited the grave for General Ordon in Ukraine!”

Dr. Travis

Dr. Travis’ ethnicity report showed very strong ethnic origins in 2 regions: he’s, 59.4% North and West European and 40.6% Scandinavian. 

Dr. Judy

While Dr. Judy’s reports show that she has an average risk of developing late-onset Alzheimer’s and age-related macular degeneration, she also discovered that she has a significantly decreased risk of developing celiac disease.

Unfortunately, Dr. Judy was unable to receive the polygenic risk reports for breast cancer, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. These 3 reports are based on studies conducted among European populations, so they are currently only available for people who are mainly of European heritage. MyHeritage is conducting research to allow the polygenic reports to cover a broader spectrum of populations in the future.

Conclusion

The Doctors had an extremely positive experience learning about their health risks as well as their ethnic backgrounds, which they can now explore further on the MyHeritage website. 

They were shown the important value of at-home DNA testing for health to provide insights for families who may have common medical conditions. Tests such as the one from MyHeritage can also be very helpful for people who were adopted or those who may not know their family medical history. In addition, the information the MyHeritage DNA Health+Ancestry test provides may assist doctors in determining whether additional testing is needed, choosing the right course of treatment, and even helping patients prevent certain illnesses.

Would you like to learn more about your genetic health risks? Purchase the test or upgrade your existing MyHeritage DNA test.