I purchased a genetic test from 23andMe earlier this year, 
and after completing the online questions, 
I sent in my sample and received 
the following results.

1. I do not have the APOE E4 variant that is linked to a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, nor the two variants tested for Parkinson’s disease. That’s good news, although it doesn’t mean I’m protected from developing either condition.

2. I have two copies of the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and one copy of the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene, increasing my risk for age-related macular degeneration to 4.5 times the average. In the U.S., 2.5 percent of people of European descent over age 50 are affected.

3. I’m 99.7 European, including 73.3 percent East European. (Both my parents emigrated from Ukraine.) I’m 11.2 percent Balkan and 1.5 percent Ashkenazi Jewish.

4. My genes predispose me to weigh 4 percent less than average. The average weight for a man my age and my height is 206 pounds, based on 23andMe participants of European descent. I weigh about 168 pounds.

5. I’m likely to be lactose tolerant, to be able to smell asparagus in my pee and to prefer salty foods. All three are true.

6. I have 294 Neanderthal variants, more than 75 percent of 23andMe customers. My Neanderthal ancestry accounts for less than 4 percent of my overall DNA.

7. I’m not a carrier for any of the genetic conditions that 23andMe test for.

8. I have the same genetic variant related to muscle composition found in almost all elite power athletes, including sprinters, throwers and jumpers. I had good speed and good vertical leap in high school and college, but was certainly not an elite athlete. I tend to pursue endurance sports these days.

9. I can trace my maternal lineage back to a woman who lived in the Middle East about 14,500 years ago.

10. I have no other health risks that were flagged by genetic testing.