6 incredible things your DNA can tell you

Morning or night?¹

For starters, it turns out that women are more likely to be morning people than men. Most women and men consider themselves night owls, however, a majority of people over 50 years old consider themselves morning people.

Our partners at 23andMe have found several genetic links to how humans regulate their sleep. Their researchers identified 15 locations in your DNA that are associated with being a morning person, including gene mutations linked to narcolepsy and near established circadian genes.²

Your sleep

It turns out how deeply you sleep and how much you move in your sleep are influenced by specific genes. A study found that people with no copies of a genetic variant had less tendency to move their arms and legs while sleeping than people with one or two copies of the variant.³

How sleepy you feel may be linked to your body’s production of a chemical called adenosine which studies indicate may build up in the body during waking hours. If you have a genetic variant that affects how you process adenosine, you may feel a greater urge to sleep as you get tired.

Your DNA is actually from around the world…

How much do you know about your ancestry composition — the percent of your DNA that comes from around the world?

23andMe researchers have created a first-of-its-kind genetic portrait of the United States. Among self-identified whites, 4% have at least 1% or more African ancestry. In self-identified African Americans in 23andMe’s database, the average amount of African ancestry was closer to 73%. On average, Latinos had about 70% European ancestry, 14% Native American ancestry and 6% African ancestry.⁴

Your genetics can tell you a lot about where your ancestry originated. As you work to add another branch to your family tree, consider finding out about your roots.

Taste:

Approximately 25% of people are “taste-blind” to the bitter flavors found in cabbage and broccoli, which is a trait they could pass on to their children. On the opposite end of the spectrum, research indicates that having a sweet tooth may have genetic links as well.

If you’ve ever had trouble cutting down on sugar, it might be based on your genetics!

Caffeine:

The amount of caffeine you consume may be affected by genetics. 51% of 23andMe customers learned that their consumption is likely to be higher-than-average compared to other 23andMe customers.⁶ Can you imagine having genetically enhanced coffee cravings and a sweet tooth?

Hair facts:

That’s right – hair facts. According to 23andMe, there’s no single gene for “curly hair.” It’s likely related to genes that influence hair texture, which have been found to be 85% – 95% heritable.⁷

If you have a male partner who is worried about hair loss, you can look to their maternal grandfather which studies have found plays a role in the likelihood of going bald.

Learn more

While DNA can tell us a lot about humans and our history, the most interesting facts are the ones that are true about you as an individual.

You can learn a lot more about yourself by taking a DNA test with 23andMe. In addition to information about your ancestry, or other unique things about yourself, you could learn some valuable information that can help you prepare for the health of your family.

Tap below to see what 23andMe can tell you.

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