How to Get More Information from your DNA Raw Data with Xcode Life

Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Xcode Life but all thoughts and opinions are my own. This post also includes affiliate links - you won't pay more but we'll receive a small commission from purchases made after clicking the links.

For under $100 you can get your DNA analyzed by a number of companies who will break down your ancestry and ethnicity into easy to understand percentages and maps. It's very cool, in fact my husband and I had ours done by 23andMe a couple of years ago (see that video here) and my Japanese born and bred husband had pretty shocking results that he was not 100% Japanese!! You can learn about yourself, connect with distant family members, and for those adopted, even have the chance to find your birth parents or siblings! The science behind it all is fascinating, and frankly way over my head!

Did you know, you can very easily download the raw DNA data from 23andMe, Ancestry, FamilyTreeNDA, Living DNA, MyHeritage DNA and a number of others, and upload it to Xcode Life (who sponsored this post) to gleam even more information about your health, personality traits, fitness, skin, and more!?! That's right! It's super easy, and their reports are provided SAME DAY!! Watch my overview video here, that includes going through my own results live!!

Some of the insights I found the most valuable and interesting for myself were:

• I'm less likely to lose weight from exercise and should experience weight loss better with a high protein and high fiber intake. The reports even broke it down and provided me with a recommended diet plan of 45% carbs, 35% protein, and 20% fats, and exercise plan of cardio 3-4 days a week, strength training 2-3 days a week, and flexibility training 3-7 days a week.​

• I have a high risk for hemochromatosis (iron overload, which can be deadly if unaware that you have it). This is actually something my uncle was diagnosed with a few years ago, so this result was extremely eye opening and has prompted me to make an appointment with my doctor to discuss any necessary diagnostic tests.
• I'm likely to have both the warrior personality trait (better processing of aversive stimuli) and worrier personality trait (advantage in memory and attention tasks; associated with more pain in response to aversive stimuli).
• It also ran through a long list of allergy risks, which are not diagnostic like a blood or skin test, but are still useful and could prompt one's decision to go in for further testing, or perhaps to understand your baby's possible increased risk before introducing first foods. I found it interesting that I have a high risk of peanut allergy, yet I don't have one and neither do my 3 kids, thankfully.

All in all, it's fascinating to read through all of these reports about yourself. It's very possible you will discover something that will improve your health or even save your life. Discovering you have a high risk for something such as diabetes or Alzheimer's, for example, will hopefully prompt you to have a much needed conversation with your doctor, and be on the lookout for early signs of disease onset that you might have otherwise shrugged off!

If interested in learning more or making a purchase, you'll first need to order and submit your basic DNA / Ethnicity / Ancestry Kit through one of the following companies compatible with Xcode Life. Here are a few available on Amazon (all affiliate links):

• 23andMe Genetic DNA Ancestry Kit
• Ancestry DNA Genetic Ethnicity Kit 
• FamilyTree DNA
• Living DNA
• MyHeritage DNA Ancestry & Ethnicity Genetic Test​

​After receiving those reports, you can head on over to shop all of Xcode Life's products here, and get $10 off the Mega Pack with code "USJAPANFAM10" (valid through February 15, 2020), and of course you can find them on Facebook and Instagram!