Searches for ancestry DNA exams are burgeoning. Obtain one for Christmas? Contemplating getting one for a liked one’s birthday, Mom’s Day or Father’s Day? You are not alone. Increasingly more of us are turning to DNA testing corporations to not solely take management of our well being, however to fill out the branches of our household bushes, too.

If we’re going deep with it, there’s been a little bit of a disconnect in recent times due to the pandemic and the rise of social media. Enter: a larger need to learn about who you’re and the place you come from, to search out that sense of connection once more.

“We reside in a time the place individuals really feel more and more disconnected,” explains Laura Home, household historical past professional at AncestryDNA. “Individuals are looking for actual connections and genuine experiences, and household historical past is a crucial method for individuals to fulfill this want. For instance, researchers at Emory College within the US have discovered that youngsters with a deep data of their household’s historical past – each the optimistic moments and the harder ones – have a lot larger confidence, resilience and openness to others. Researching your loved ones historical past is usually a therapeutic and grounding expertise, and accessible and reasonably priced genetic testing via Ancestry has made it attainable for hundreds of thousands of individuals to take significant motion to complement their lives.”

Whereas most individuals are aware of utilizing these kits to find extra about their relations, typically resulting in new connections (hiya, cousin Greg in California!), there’s the aforementioned myriad of well being advantages, too. Your DNA check outcomes can inform you if you’re predisposed to sure situations, together with particular cancers (the BRCA gene, for instance, made recognized by Angelina Jolie), and will enable you to take possession of your well being. Data is energy, as they are saying.

Whereas it’s price noting that taking an ancestry DNA check is usually a Pandora’s Field and it is price contemplating how ready you’re for various kinds of information (you may, for instance, uncover a proclivity for dementia – however with no remedy, your high quality of life could also be compromised), should you do need to take one, we’re right here to assist. Forward, one of the best DNA testing providers of 2024 from 23andme to Ancestry.co.uk – plus all of your FAQs.

SKIP TO: How we selected one of the best ancestry DNA kits | What does an ancestry DNA check actually inform you? | What are the various kinds of ancestry DNA exams? | How correct are ancestry DNA exams? | How lengthy does it take to get the outcomes from an ancestry DNA check? | Our full evaluations.

Meet the professional

• Laura Home is a genealogist and household historical past professional at Ancestry DNA, one of many main DNA ancestry package suppliers within the UK. She has an MSc diploma in Genealogical, Palaeographic and Heraldic Research from the College of Strathclyde, and he or she’s appeared on TV reveals like BBC Three’s Stranger in My Household and ITV’s The Queen and Her Cousins with Alexander Armstrong.

The most effective ancestry DNA kits 2024 at a look:

How we selected one of the best ancestry DNA kits:

OK, full transparency: we didn’t try to check each DNA check package on this edit. As an alternative, we checked out a mess of things that made them nice. Firstly, buyer evaluations, after all – we learn all of them. Then, we factored in price, ease of use, and the way rapidly you may anticipate outcomes again. We additionally checked out how the outcomes had been introduced – had been they straightforward to know? – plus every other further components, like their privateness statements, which may make them stand out from the group.

What does an ancestry DNA check actually inform you?

DNA ancestry exams have come a good distance in recent times, and genetic knowledge may give you a extremely complete overview of your well being. A few of them, akin to 23andme’s DNA knowledge check, may give indications on all the pieces out of your proclivity for Parkinson’s as to if or not you might need freckles.