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Eat Right?

Candace Choi from the Associated Press took two direct-to-consumer genetic tests to see what diet and nutrition advice they would provide, but she found that what they told her was rather generic.

She looked into the advice given to her by both 23andMe and DNAFit. Her 23andMe results, she notes, suggested that she limit red meat and fast food and exercise at least twice a week, while her DNAFit recommended she limit her intake of refined carbohydrates and saturated fat to about 10 percent of her overall caloric intake for each and suggested she was better suited for endurance exercise.

Overall, Choi writes that much of the advice she received seemed broad. 23andMe tells her that customers all get advice on the same 10 points as those are the ones they surveyed users about, but vary the order they are present based on their expected effect. DNAFit, meanwhile, tells her the ranges they provide for those recommendations fall between 6 percent to 10 percent

"DNAFit and 23andMe say knowing your genetic predisposition can motivate you to stick with diet or exercise routines, Choi writes, adding, "But for me, the findings from both felt too broad to influence my habits."