Last week, I attended the A4M Longevity Conference, where thousands of health practitioners gather to explore cutting-edge medical innovations.
At the SelfDecode booth, we showcased our revolutionary genetic technology, and many attendees that I spoke to already knew the strength that genetics has in optimizing your health.
Unfortunately, there was one issue.
Nobody realized just how many scammers and gimmicks dominate the genetic testing industry.
I kept hearing the same question: “What makes you different from this company?” And each company they mentioned was, for lack of a better word, a complete gimmick.
If you aren’t aware of how your genes are being analyzed, then you might fall into this trap as well.
I wouldn’t blame you – they put millions of dollars into marketing and maybe a few thousand into science.
So before you spend your hard-earned money on a genetic test, here’s what you need to know to avoid wasting it.
Are they only looking at a few SNPs?
Most genetic companies rely on outdated, oversimplified methods to give you “risk scores” and so-called “personalized” recommendations.
When I started getting into this in 2015, I was guilty of this as well. The science and tech just wasn’t advanced enough and we were mainly looking at a list of single variants (SNPs).
I hired multiple PhDs in genetics from reputable universities, and they were also working on single variants.
However, in 2019, after speaking with some top scientists at the top universities, I realized that the science has progressed A LOT in genetics and that looking at a few variants couldn’t really predict accurately.
The truth is, for any given condition or trait, there are many thousands or millions of variants usually involved (with a few exceptions).
There are some genes that do play significant roles in certain health issues, like the MTHFR, BRCA, and ApoE gene.
But, overall, you can’t predict risks or recommendations from a handful of variants.
To truly understand genetic risk and deliver meaningful insights, you need to analyze these thousands or millions of variants.
For example, our Alzheimer’s Report looks at the ApoE gene, plus about a million other genes.
And that’s just the start.
These polygenic risk score models need to be rigorously validated and published, which is something we’ve done at SelfDecode.
We have published 6 papers.
Any company can technically say that they looked at a lot of variants and that they have the best algorithm.
But unless you prove it, it’s not worth much.
When we benchmarked our results to the leading algorithms, we found that we outperformed them.
Unfortunately, none of the top 5 were in the consumer industry.
The vast majority of companies out there deploy their funds not on building a product but on selling the product. They are generally looking at anywhere between 5 to 200 SNPs.
I always use this analogy to show how inaccurate they are:
It’s like reading a single word from a thousand-page book and then claiming you know the entire story.
And the worst part? They’ll convince you they’re accurate.
The Blind Is Leading The Blind
Some people might ask “Well, if they’re so bad, how are they selling so much?”
It’s like I said before, it’s all about the marketing, but let’s get more into detail.
A company like 10x Health is killing it in the DNA industry right now, but it’s not because they have a great product.
It’s because they have great sellers.
Gary Brecka is a fantastic sales person, and Grant Cardone is a legend in the art of selling.
People like Dana White, who has a huge following as President of UFC, is endorsing 10x Health.
And so his followers end up getting 10x Health and analyzing their genetics through them.
They’re bringing on people to talk about their product that really have no idea what genetic testing entails.
Many of these companies’ founders, because they hold PhDs (often in unrelated fields), are giving talks at conferences like A4M, which aim to educate doctors. The doctor doesn’t know that they are spewing BS information.
One of my goals now is to educate doctors on this topic, because they are also getting sucked into bullshit and these gimmick companies.
It’s the blind leading the blind. This scam will go on as long as enough people aren’t educated about the topic.
Why Aren’t People Focusing On Real Science?
Because what we’re doing is difficult and expensive.
It’s a real science and engineering feat to build the most advanced DNA analysis tool and provide precision health recommendations.
So far, we’ve spent $20 million to build the product, as it takes some really smart and talented (i.e. expensive) people to create what we have.
In order to give you the most accurate results and personalized recommendations based on your genes, we’re using the latest techniques in AI, including deep learning, bayesian machine learning and hyperdimensional computing for genetic imputation and our genetic models.
If you wanted to build a product that these other gimmicky companies are using, it would literally cost you less than $5,000.
We Replicated Them All in One Week
I got so frustrated by all these shit companies that I decided to replicate every one of them and make them 100X better.
It took us a single week to replicate 15 companies’ reports.
We did this to make a point and also make you feel like you’re not “missing out” on any of these scams.
These companies are banking on ignorance to sell their product and I’m frankly tired of playing nice.
So, while everyone else is taking the easy way out to make an extra dollar off of consumers that aren’t able to confirm how accurate the reports really are…
We’ll be over here doing real personalized health.
So that you can feel better, live longer and be free from the long-lasting symptoms that you haven’t been able to solve.
We’re betting that consumers will be able to see through the noise of marketing and notice the difference in the quality.
If you’re thinking of getting DNA analysis at another company or a company that isn’t powered by us (we license our technology to 75 other companies), I honestly think you might be better off going to palm readers.
Don’t be fooled by companies promising results, when they don’t have the talent or papers to back it up.
If you’re ready to find out what your body actually needs, get SelfDecode.
When you sign up today, you’ll get:
- A world-class DNA kit that’s processed in highly secure U.S.-based laboratories
- Analysis of up to 200 MILLION health-related genetic variants
- 700+ personalized wellness reports
- Personalized supplement, diet and lifestyle recommendations
- A custom health plan builder
- AI Health Coach
And so much more.
