Is DNA Testing of College Freshman a Good Idea?

Mike Magee MD

In 2005, I examined the issues of eating disorders in college bound women. (1) I had the following advise for parents, students and the colleges themselves:

” For parents, begin early by examining your own prejudices and biases regarding food, nutrition, weight, and body image. What behaviors are you modeling for your children? Parents need to manage and advance good nutrition as part of a healthy inheritance. Eating should be encouraged in response to hunger. Self-worth and self-esteem should be constantly reinforced, as should open communication and critical thinking about human values. Finally, exploring nutrition during college campus visits and raising the topic of nutrition early and often places the issue on everyone’s radar screen.”

“For students, particularly females, recognize you are vulnerable, and, through discussion with family and peers, come up with a realistic nutrition plan. Choose a college that will support your needs. Do not abuse substances. Do not smoke. Focus on balance, self-worth, and reaching your full potential.”

“For colleges: understand you have a responsibility to your students. Recognize publicly the seriousness of eating disorders. Consider formally monitoring BMI each semester through student health services. Offer full nutritional counseling with registered dieticians who will personalize nutrition plans when it’s necessary – if BMI is outside the 20-30 corridor. Integrate mental health support where appropriate. Create a preventive, programmatic focus and consider making nutrition leadership a center of excellence for your institution.”

Now dial ahead five years and consider the new voluntary program for incoming freshmen at the University of California, Berkeley entering this September. (2) That’s the school that provided every incoming freshman last year with a copy of Michael Pollan’s “Omnivore’s Dilemma”. Well this year, if incoming freshmen choose, they will be able to send in a swab of their inner cheeks for DNA analysis. The samples will be coded and identifiable only by the students. What results will be reported? The major focus is on nutrition, reporting back on certain markers that may indicate dietary sensitivites and extra vulnerability to addictive substances. The lead investigator at the University says the purpose is “to help students learn about personalized medicine and identify their own vulnerabilities…in the future I believe nutritional genomics is going to be a sweet spot.” (3)

The University to clearly edging into the future. Dean Mark Schlissel said, “We wanted to give students a sense of what’s coming, through genes that can provide them with useful information.” (3) The effort is not without controversy. Screening results, whether cholesterol levels or DNA results, provided directly without counseling support can be misinterpreted and create needless anxiety some say. Side stepping health providers worries others. (4) But the reality is that in a health consumer world, information, diagnostics, health planning and adherence – will increasing be directed at those individuals with the most flesh in the game – the consumers themselves.

For HealthCommentary, I’m Mike Magee.

References:

1.Magee M., Eating Disorders and College Women. Health Politics. March, 2005. http://web.me.com/drmikemagee/Site/HealthPolitics_Archive/Entries/2005/3/2_Eating_Disorders_and_College_Women.html

2. Berkeley Freshman get DNA swabs. The Berkeley Daily Planet. May 18, 2010. http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2010-05-18/article/35370?headline=Berkeley-Today-Wednesday

3. Lewin T. College Bound, DNA Swab In Hand. NYT. A14. May 19, 2010. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/19/education/19dna.html

4. Beyond the Genome: The Ethics of DNA Testing. http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Beyond+the+genome:+the+ethics+of+DNA+testing.-a015910633