Genetic Information Disclosure

Before you look at genetic results, we want you to know what the test is, what it can and cannot tell you, who can see it, and what your rights are. Please read this; it takes a few minutes.

What was tested

Your test is a targeted panel: it looks at a selected set of genetic variants (single-nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs) chosen because published research links them to how the body handles nutrients, such as folate, vitamin B12, choline, iron and vitamin D, and to related processes like detoxification, inflammation and neurotransmitter breakdown. It looks at a few hundred positions at most. It is not whole-genome or whole-exome sequencing, it does not look for most inherited diseases, and it does not screen for cancer risk, carrier status or ancestry.

What a result means, and what it does not

A genotype is not a diagnosis. A result tells you which version of a variant you carry. It does not tell you that you have, or will get, any condition. Most of the associations in this field are modest, many people who carry a variant never notice anything, and many symptoms have nothing to do with genes.

Nutrition interpretation only. The interpretations shown in the portal describe how a variant may relate to nutrient needs or to which form of a nutrient your body may use best. They are drawn from published research and from computational inference, and they are written to be discussed with your practitioner, not acted on alone.

Some markers are also discussed outside nutrition. A few variants on the panel are also written about in other areas of medicine, for example variants in the HFE gene (iron handling), the F5 gene (blood clotting) and the APOE gene (cholesterol handling and, in the wider literature, brain health). We report these for their nutrition relevance only. We do not screen for, and a result here is not a diagnosis of, any disease. If a result raises a question for you, take it to your practitioner, who can decide whether any clinical testing is appropriate.

Results change as knowledge changes

The science of nutrigenomics is young. Associations are confirmed, weakened or overturned as new studies are published, and we revise our reference data and scoring over time. What the portal shows you today may read differently after an update. The genotype itself does not change; the interpretation can.

Results that are missing or held back

Some positions may not produce a confident call. Those are shown as not called or pending, and occasionally a re-collection is needed. Some variants are not reported because our laboratory has not validated them for reporting, or because a position cannot be reported reliably. A missing result is not a result.

Accuracy

Our laboratory tests under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) and runs quality controls on every batch. Even so, no laboratory test is perfect; sample mix-ups, technical failures and rare variants that interfere with the assay can occur. If a result does not fit, your practitioner can ask us to review it or order a repeat.

Who can see your results

Your results are visible to you (through the email address on your account), to the practice that ordered your test, to MaxGen Labs staff who support your account, and in the access record we keep for security and compliance. Our systems run on Microsoft's cloud platform under a written agreement that binds Microsoft to protect health information. We never sell your genetic information, and we do not use it for advertising.

Your genetic information and the law

The federal Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) prohibits health insurers and most employers from requesting or using your genetic information against you. GINA does not cover life insurance, disability insurance or long-term-care insurance, and it does not apply to some small employers or to some federal programs. Some states give further protections. Think about this before you share your results with anyone outside your care.

How long we keep your results, and deletion

We keep your genotype and your reports so that you and your practitioner can use them, and we keep an access record for at least six years as the law requires. You can ask us to delete your genetic data, reports and account at any time from Settings; deletion is permanent after a thirty-day grace period. Our Privacy Notice explains the details.

Consent to testing

Your consent to genetic testing was given when your sample was collected, on the requisition or consent form your practitioner or our kit provided. This disclosure does not replace it; it explains what you are about to see.

Your Notice of Privacy Practices

Our Notice of Privacy Practices explains how we may use and disclose your health information and the rights you have over it, including the right to a copy of your records and the right to complain. It is posted at https://portal.maxgenlabs.com/legal/hipaa-npp and linked from every page of the portal. By accepting below you acknowledge that you have received it.

Questions

Ask your practitioner about anything you read here. For questions about your account, your privacy or this disclosure, write to help@maxgenlabs.com.