Republican Senator Gordon Smith of Oregon calls home DNA kits for cancer and other diseases as nothing more than modern day snake oil and he believes consumers are being misled and exploited. Smith, chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, released a report from the Government Accountability Office on home DNA test products. He stated he is shocked to learn how little the federal government is doing to protect consumers in awareness and education regarding the uselessness of these products.
According to a Congressional report, home DNA tests or nutrigenetic tests, are not clinically valid and companies selling them are making unproven and ambiguous health-related predictions.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said they were investigating the companies to determine is oversight was needed.
