What types of results can I expect to receive?
Our participants are our partners. By participating, you are contributing to research that may improve the health of future generations. You may also learn more about your own health.
What type of results can the All of Us Research Program give me?
We expect to look at different types of information in your DNA which could include information about:
- Your ancestry
- Your traits (such as why you might hate or love cilantro)
- Whether you may have an increased risk of developing a health condition
- How your body might react to certain medications
- Other health related information
By joining All of Us, you may get a more complete picture of your Electronic Health Record (EHR). Medical records used to be kept in paper files. Now, most are kept in computer files. These digital medical charts are called electronic health records.
Your EHR may include things like:
- Health issues
- Medications
- Treatments
Your EHR is created and updated by your health care provider. If you see many health care providers, you may have many EHRs. All of Us will share your EHR information with you so you have a better understanding of your entire health history.
To view this type of information, log in to your participant account. Here, you can view your physical measurements and see how your survey responses compare to others.
What can my DNA tell me?
For many participants and researchers, one of the most exciting parts of the All of Us Research Program is getting DNA results. But what results are we checking for? The answer is many different things!
For those participants who have given blood or saliva samples, All of Us will analyze the samples for different types of information, including genetic traits. DNA is a molecule found in our blood and cells. Each person’s DNA is 99 percent the same as the DNA of every other person on Earth. Within the other 1 percent are all the DNA changes that make each of us unique.
Some DNA changes have to do with the way we look or how our bodies work. We call these traits. The color of your eyes and the color of your hair are both traits that are easy to see. Other traits are less obvious. Those could affect things like:
- Lactose intolerance: Some people feel sick when they have milk and other dairy foods.
- Caffeine sensitivity: Some people can drink a lot of coffee and not feel any different. Other people get jittery after only a little bit of caffeine.
- Cilantro preference: To some people, this herb tastes great. To others, it tastes and smells like soap!
- Earwax type: There are two kinds of earwax: sticky and flaky. Our genes decide which kind we have.
Some participants have started to receive information on genetic traits and ancestry. Traits include things like whether you are likely to be lactose intolerant and whether your earwax is flaky or sticky. Ancestry is information on what part of the world your ancestors came from. To get results, you need to have provided blood or saliva samples and completed the Consent to Receive DNA Results. If you have taken those steps, but you haven’t started receiving results yet, stay tuned! If you choose to receive results, you’ll get them on a timeline that is specific to you. And you’ll get the results over time, not all at once. In the future, we will also be able to check your DNA for information that could affect your health, if you want to know.
What do I need to do to get my DNA results?
If you want your DNA results, your first steps are to:
- Complete the "Consent to Join the All of Us Research Program"
- Agree to share your electronic health records (EHR).
- Go through the "Consent to Receive DNA Results" and tell us that you want your DNA results.
- Complete "The Basics", "Overall Health", and "Lifestyle" surveys.
- Provide a blood or saliva sample.
- Keep your email and/or mobile phone number up to date in your All of Us account.
