Living DNA promises to help you understand your genetic ancestry and wellbeing through an accessible, secure DNA testing service. But are the results accurate and detailed enough to provide meaningful insights? Does the lower cost come with compromises?
I carefully analyzed Living DNA‘s offerings to bring you a comprehensive, critical review of exactly what you get – and what you may be missing out on. Read on for key details to help you determine if this DNA test is worth your hard-earned money.
How Living DNA Compares on Key DNA Testing Criteria
Accuracy of Ancestry Results
Living DNA uses cutting-edge sequencing technology and references extensive historical population data to pinpoint your ancestry mix with a high degree of accuracy.
Multiple independent testing organizations have confirmed the reliability of Living DNA‘s ancestry reports. Their regional breakdown provides more precise detail than most competitors.
However, the affordable pricing does come with some limitations…
Depth and Detail of Ancestry Timeline
Living DNA ancestry reports trace lineages back 500 years with excellent regional specificity. But their free reports do not provide ancient ancestral migration details beyond this timescale.
To trace your early human origins 80,000+ years ago, you need to purchase their Full Ancestry upgrade for $120 more. This helps explain the lower starting price compared to services like 23andMe.
Privacy Protections and Data Usage
Living DNA clearly explains their strict privacy policies, assuring customers they will never sell data to third parties without consent. Your genetic data is only used anonymously for internal research and product improvements.
Given growing concerns over exploitation of DNA testing data, Living DNA‘s water-tight policies provide valuable peace of mind. Just be aware their test kits are processed in the UK, which may influence your choice depending on your location.
Health Reports Related to Genetic Risks
Living DNA deliberately avoids providing any health or medical information to keep costs down. Their test kits are intended for ancestry and wellness purposes only.
If you specifically want to test disease risk markers or carrier status reports, you would need to use an alternative service like 23andMe or AncestryDNA. Living DNA chooses not to take on any of these ethical considerations or regulatory requirements.
Nutrition, Fitness, and Wellness Insights
The Wellbeing test (priced from $100) dives extensively into how your genetics influence nutritional needs, metabolism, muscle recovery, injury risk and more.
The reports provide science-based lifestyle recommendations on diet, supplements, and ideal training regimens tailored to your DNA. This can help you optimize wellness in a uniquely personalized way.
Value for Money
Given the accuracy, security, features and flexibility on offer, Living DNA provides very solid value – as long as you understand the limitations around health reports and ancestry timeframes.
The basic $79 ancestry kit competes closely with leading brands while avoiding unwanted data usage. And you can always upgrade later to unlock more insights as needed.
Navigating Living DNA‘s Service and Offerings
From deciding which test kit is right for you to interpreting your results, here is an in-depth guide to using Living DNA smoothly from start to finish.
Choosing Your Test Kit(s)
You can select from 3 main testing options when signing up:
- Ancestry Kit ($79): Traces 500 years of genealogy across 150+ regions
- Wellbeing Kit ($99): Explores diet, fitness, vitamins etc.
- Wellbeing + Ancestry Kit ($149): Combines both of the above
I recommend starting with the Ancestry or combined kit, which provide the core DNA insights. You can always add Wellbeing later if you want more targeted wellness guidance.
Those specifically interested in recent family history on all sides should also consider the Y-DNA and mtDNA ancestry upgrades for extra detail.
And for maximum ancestral depth, be prepared to pay $120 more for the Full Ancestry Upgrade, tracing back over 80,000 years.
Collecting and Returning Your Sample
Living DNA provides a simple cheek swab kit for collecting your saliva sample at home. Register your kit online and follow the clear instructions to activate and return it.
Processing takes 6-12 weeks on average. Be aware this is slower than some competitors, so factor it in if you need results urgently for a specific purpose like medical screening or immigration tests.
Accessing and Understanding Your Reports
Your detailed results are presented clearly online along with guidance on interpreting them. Expect breakdowns of your:
- Recent family ancestry makeup across 150+ global regions
- Ancient ancestral migration routes and populations
- Unique genomic health and wellbeing analysis if you added those upgrades
Create a free account to store all your data and explore further analysis tools. Living DNA also offers useful webinars and expert support if you need help making sense of it all.
And remember you can download your raw DNA data file to upload and cross-check on third-party interpretation platforms if desired.
Managing Your Personal Account Over Time
Once set up, your Living DNA account provides lifetime access to your reports and ancestry updates as new details emerge.
The company promises they will never sell your data without consent. You can also directly request permanent deletion of your account and DNA data from their systems at any time if required.
Ongoing subscriptions are not needed, but you can optionally purchase new test kit upgrades or add-ons as technology improves.
Expert Tips for Getting the Most from Living DNA
Follow this guidance during signup and when using your reports for maximum effectiveness:
- Carefully read all policy details around privacy, data usage, and test processing legalities.
- If fast results are critical (e.g for medical or immigration needs), check if Living DNA‘s timelines work for your case upfront.
- When buying, try applying any seasonal sales promotions from their website for discounts up to 25% off.
- For the deepest insights, be ready to pay extra for the Full Ancestry upgrade and advanced Wellbeing tests.
- Use your raw DNA data file to cross-check results consistency on third party services.
- Explore how your genetic risks and recommendations may influence critical health decisions in discussion with medical professionals.
- Revisit your reports periodically for ancestry updates as historical DNA databases expand over time.
The Final Verdict: Is Living DNA Worth Trying?
Living DNA sets very clear expectations upfront around what insights they cover – and what limitations to expect with their affordable test kits.
Within the ancestry and wellbeing areas they specialize in, the results deliver excellent accuracy and guidance to help you understand genetic impacts on your health, diet, fitness and family history.
Just steer clear if you specifically need urgent results, detailed early migration ancestry beyond 500 years ago, or serious disease risk assessments.
Overall, Living DNA nicely balances accessibility, security, flexibility and customization for personalized DNA discovery. Well worth considering among the top DNA test kit contenders on the market today.
