Key Takeaways
- Preventive screenings help to reduce our long-term risk of developing diseases and health conditions.
- DNA screenings help to determine not only your risk of certain health conditions, but the risks of your children and other family members.
- Talk with your primary care provider about which type of preventive screening(s) may be right for you.
When it comes to your health, prevention is an easier path to follow than treating a health condition. For this reason and others, choosing preventive health screenings can make a significant difference in staying healthy over the course of your life.
Recent research incorporates DNA screenings into preventive healthcare, giving patients deeper insights into how their genes and family history affect their risk for certain health conditions – and how they can take action to reduce their risk.
Types of preventive screenings
Preventive screenings assess your risk for specific health conditions, such as breast cancer, colorectal cancer, heart disease and others.
Depending on your age, personal or family history, and lifestyle, you may need to undergo different types of preventive screenings, such as:
- Mammogram
- Colonoscopy
- Sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
- HPV
- Blood pressure and cholesterol
- Lung cancer screening
- Genetic screening
Talk with your primary care provider during your annual wellness exam to determine if you are eligible for any of these screenings.
How genetic screenings help your health
If you know you are at an elevated risk of developing certain health conditions, you are able to take steps to lower that risk.
DNA screenings are part of reducing those risks. Patients who undergo a genetic screening through a blood or saliva sample are able to determine whether they carry certain genetic markers that put them at a higher risk for chronic health conditions and diseases. This knowledge can help in several ways.
Expanding family history: You may already know some health conditions that your parents, grandparents, siblings, and extended family carry a risk for, but genetic testing can confirm or eliminate other suspected health conditions.
Assessing risk for future generations: Knowing if your genes affect your child or children’s health can allow them to keep a closer eye on health conditions and be prepared in case signs or symptoms arise that need treatment.
Diagnosing current symptoms: If you or a family member are experiencing symptoms related to a disease or genetic condition, genetic testing can help to confirm a diagnosis so the most effective treatments can be determined.
Informing health habits: Once you learn about a genetic risk, you can take steps to reduce that risk – often by changing simple habits in everyday life. Getting regular exercise, eating more fruits & vegetables and less red meat, getting good quality sleep, reducing alcohol use, and quitting smoking helps to reduce the risk of many chronic health conditions.
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