When you are in your 40s, you’d think you already know all about yourself. But well, my assumption that that’s true is only well, partially right. The first time I came across CircleDNA was online during the covid time. At that time, I remember thinking to myself, wow, that’s cool and that would be a great way to find out more about myself. But then more pressing matters always came up so this year during my birthday month, when CircleDNA asked if I would be alright to do a review of their Premium CircleDNA test, I jumped at the opportunity to finally get tested.

How it’s done

It’s actually really simple. When you have decided on the test you want to do (there are four to choose from), a package will be sent to you. All you need to do is to follow the instructions in the test kit, download the CircleDNA app to register the kit, swab and arrange for FedEx to pick it up then wait very patiently for the results. It takes awhile from the time you order it to the time you actually get the report, probably about 20+ days.

The results

When your results are ready, you’ll be able to see it on your CircleDNA app. You can view the detailed report or click on the Summary first for an overview.

The Premium DNA test offers 500+ reports over 20 categories.

After clicking on a section for instance, Diet, you’d be able to see your optimal diet type as well as other dietary sensitivity details:

If I click on each item, there would be further details. Besides the result, you can click on the Recommendations tab to find out what you can do about your sensitivity etc.

What I particularly like is the Diet, Nutrition and Sports and Fitness sections. For someone like me who’s always trying to go on diet and exercise to combat my yoyo-ing weight, I finally have some idea what I should work on.

And well, it seems that my yoyo-ing weight is written in my DNA because under the test “Weight Regain”, it is clearly stated that I’m at Elevated Risk. Sigh. I guess I have it tough then. But it also explains why over the course of the past decade, my weight has been fluctuating madly between 46 – 53kg. I’ve also noticed that as I age, the time I take to lose the weight increases. The effort level required also increases with age. But now, I have a better understanding of my DNA so I can take better steps to achieve my weight goals.

Under the Sports and Fitness section, you can find out more about what sort of exercises suit you better and will therefore take out some guesswork on your part. The Nutrition section also tells you what you’re lacking so you can work on giving your body the nutrition it needs for greater health in the long run.

The Common Health Risks section is also good for you to take proactive steps to ensure that you take better care of your health. For instance, I have an elevated risk of high cholesterol and Type 2 diabetes. With this knowledge, I can take steps to ensure that it just remains an elevated risk rather than reality.

Some people don’t want to do a DNA test because they think that it is best not to know too much about ourselves. What do we do with all that information? What if it’s information we cannot handle? Personally, I feel that the information obtained from our DNA tells us what’s written in our genetic code but it doesn’t mean that your destiny is set in stone. Instead of viewing it negatively, you can take steps to attain better health and nutrition and get the most out of your time, effort and exercise.

What sets CircleDNA apart

1. All kits include a non-invasive, FDA-approved saliva collection swab and test tube, with free delivery both ways.
2. The CircleDNA test uses a unique Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) technology which conducts a full scan on all your protein-coding genes, providing you with comprehensive and accurate results (99.9% analytical accuracy).
3. Encrypted Secured Data: Data collected is not sold, leased or rented to any third party. CircleDNA adheres to leading international security standard ISO-27001.

There is supposed to be complimentary 1-1 phone consultation regarding the results but I have not managed to book a slot, so I cannot comment on that at the moment of writing this review. It would definitely be useful I guess if you have doubts to clarify.

So is it accurate?

Well, based on my own results, I would say it is largely accurate. For instance, it did very accurately show that I have a dust allergy, a higher pain sensitivity and it even showed that not enjoying thrill is in my genes:

In a nutshell, I’d say there are some things I would definitely trust the DNA test for: ancestry origins, details about my health based on my genetic makeup; I wouldn’t argue with what science says about my physical traits.

Overall, I really love the comprehensive DNA test because I have finally found out more about my ancestry as well as how I can take steps to be in control of my health. Now that I know more about myself, I wouldn’t have to beat myself up every time I see my weight fluctuate like the stock market. Well, some things are in my genes and I just have to make greater effort to make things work the way I want. I think it will improve my quality of life since I have the knowledge of my body to improve my health and achieve my fitness goals!

Disclosure: A CircleDNA Premium Test kit was provided for purposes of review. All opinions are mine. No monetary compensation was received.