Why you should consider doing an ancestry DNA test

Something I was brought up knowing was that my faith and heritage did not need to match. Anyone can become a Muslim if they have the desire and commitment, wherever they are from in the world. It does not matter if you are the same colour as the other Muslims around you, or even if you speak the same language at home.

And so when confronted with the option of trying out an ancestry DNA test, I was hesitant. Did using one of these tests mean I wasn’t happy just knowing who I was for myself? Did it really matter exactly where my ancestors came from?

However, I was guided to a site reviewing the best DNA ancestry test; you can check it out here. When reading through the reviews, especially some of the points other users had made, I realised that there was no harm in trying.

What I found is that there are actual benefits to doing these ancestry tests. They are more than just an interesting way of looking into the past.

Here are some of the reasons why you should consider doing a DNA ancestry test:

More than coincidence

We all know that, to be the people we are today, a lot of very particular events needed to take place. Every cog in the machine worked in a certain way for us to get here. But knowing this intellectually is nothing like seeing it before you. My ancestry results told me the diverse regions my ancestors came from. Aside from the Middle East, I have Asian and African ancestry, with my African ancestry particularly spread out over the continent.

Looking at these facts gave me a greater understanding of just how much had to happen for me to be born at all. People had to travel thousands of miles long before there were cars, let alone convenient daily flights. They came from regions with entirely different religions and cultures, and yet here I am. It blew my mind, and I’m not the only one. We as a people are particularly diverse and there’s no clearer place of this than in our DNA.

My health

My DNA test results were not only good for my sense of appreciation and perspective. I also learned important health information. There are particular conditions I need to look out for, and now I know to be tested for them every year. Early diagnosis is lifesaving when it comes to cancer and heart disease, among other illnesses, and your DNA test can tell you where to start looking.

A friend of mine had an indirect but no less significant experience with his DNA test. He met relatives he hadn’t known existed, and happened to find out from them that a certain type of cancer that his paternal grandfather had also actually ran in his mother’s side of the family as well. Now he is taking no risks, knowing that there is a relatively good chance he might have to get treatment for it at some point. His DNA test potentially helped him make life-saving health decisions. 

Doing an ancestry test has been an mind-opening experience for me. It has opened my mind to where I came from, and helped me to appreciate the circumstances that took place to get me here. And it has given me a better chance of catching potential health conditions before they have the opportunity to do damage. I would recommend a DNA test for everyone, not only for understanding the past but for protecting the future as well.