The terrifying way to know how and when you'll die | 60 Minutes Australia

do you want to know the future how long you're going to live how and even when you'll die for many of us me included that's a pretty scary thought but it can be done that's right there's a simple do-it-yourself DNA test that can tell if you're likely to suffer from cancer a heart attack or even Alzheimer's disease a glimpse of the killer within knowledge that could help save your life and now more and more Australians are taking the test to ease the uncertainty to get a hint of what's in store among them Surfer Lane beachley TV handyman Scott Cam and reluctantly me she's the queen of the Waves world surfing champion Lane beachley has always been ready to take on any challenge a gutsy competitor who'll ride every monster wave the ocean can throw at her but now she faces a new test of her courage have you done this yet no not yet okay so you just swap the inside eight times today Lane beachley is about to dive head first into the unknown so it's a pretty simple test it is yeah it's really non-intrusive she's bravely handing over her DNA for a test that will give her a glimpse into her future now at least you know with these results if they're good we party and if we're they're bad we party that's right all right television's favorite Builder Scott cam is taking the test too and so am I okay there's last last opportunity no I'm Keen I really am Keen to do this and uh if it's real bad we'll just get a second opinion oh that's exactly right I'm absolutely with you on that we're all about to be genetically tested the latest science that will tell us where we come from and what we might die from genetic testing is a new and very powerful tool that's only come on the scene in the past two or three years Professor Bob Williamson is a world-renowned geneticist who believes everyone should have the right to know their genetic Destiny this new knowledge it's a genie that's out of the box you can't bring it back in and we have to find a way of making sure that the community has enough knowledge to make good use of this fantastic genetic potential through genetic testing we can now predict our chances of getting cancer disease a whole range of deadly illnesses with just a quick swab of the cheek until a couple of years ago we could only look at genes one at a time the technology has changed it's changed in that we can now look at a hundred thousand genes at once and changed visits much much cheaper you can do the test for two three four hundred dollars it's really quite remarkable how rapidly this has advanced I'm Shelley we're from domestic Blitz of course you know Scotty cam in his role as resident Builder on domestic Blitz Scott cam has spent the last few years helping change the lives of people who've done it tough what about the potential here do you want to hear my vision yeah the V8 members by doing this genetic test he's hoping to discover whether he's escaped his own family's heartbreak look you get all this gear out I'll get the truck around to the car fight well Liz we've had a fairly tragic medical history in our family because my father died a very young man of cancer 54. and uh my mother has had two bouts of cancer and survived she's also had some heart issues as well with uh with the bypass in the tossed into the middle of there I always say mum's like a 12 gauge shotgun woman that's what's going to take to stop her she keeps going on she's pretty tough in spite of all that she's tough so you know I um you know I hope it's not hereditary because uh if it is I'm uh I'm a laid out you know like I'm five to one on so you're looking for a bit of a heads up well I suppose so yeah a bit of a heads up and uh I don't want to be told Liz I don't want you to come and tell me that on the 25th of October 2020 I'm gone all right I don't want that [Music] [Applause] lane beachley was adopted at an early age and has only recently met her biological mother started playing tennis and decided to turn the surfing but she knows little about her father from my mother's side I'm aware of um glaucoma so eye problems but nothing more serious than that than I'm aware of but from my dad's side it's a complete mystery because for you it's more than finding out about what you might get in the future it's it's about finding out something you don't know you know one of the things that I that I always questioned when I was adopted is what am I in for medically what am I in for you know what am I going to face in future years and as you creep closer to 40 you know you've got to be a lot more aware of your medical history and and and things that could affect you health-wise genetic testing is now available to anyone who wants it I've just ordered this kit over the Internet for three or four hundred dollars you can have your DNA tested by one of a number of companies from around the world frankly I'd rather not be doing this do I want to know what nasties lie within not really do I have a choice not really given I've asked others to so he goes send this to the doc off to the where does this go this is going off to Iceland Iceland that's what they do it really oh wow well off to Iceland I wonder it takes four weeks Iceland has become a world leader in genetic research it's isolation making it one of the purest Gene pools in the world with its headquarters in Reykjavik decode genetics has led the way in offering home testing kits which can predict your risk of developing up to 36 different medical conditions now that you have this kind of genetic information you know they're the older they get the less tendency I have to look at myself in America [Laughter] well it's just old days my day Carrie Stevenson is decode's founder and chief scientist what are we truly learning though when uh we submit our DNA for scanning you can learn about your risk what your genetic risk of diseases like breast cancer early onset heart attack type 2 diabetes Etc is and if that is something that you would like to learn about yourself I think it is good that you can get it how accurate is it though it is very very accurate it's extraordinarily accurate we truly are embarking on a journey of Discovery signs which will allow medicine to beat disease before it strikes there are about seven or eight thousand genetic disorders that are due to mistakes in just one Gene and in every one of those cases we can actually now use the gene sequence the sequence of the human genome in order to test and see whether someone is likely to get a disease in the clouds Barrel rolling playing with the birds there's a risk Gene wingsuit flies Glenn singleman and Heather Swann both have it we've got the so-called thrill Gene the through the D4 Dr Gene on chromosome 11. and if you've got 11 copies of the gene you're a high sensation Seeker you're an Explorer a thrill seeker a person who likes to push the boundaries and that's more or less a genetic imperative and there's even a sports Gene which dictates whether you're better suited to speed or endurance and this genetic shopping list is growing every day we actually over there we found a sequence variant in the sequence of the human genome that has significant impact on whether or not you like to solve crossword puzzles so are you serious yes I'm dead serious yeah for Al volunteers though it's not the crossword puzzle or sporting genes they're worried about hit me hit me with a bob what have I got okay their results are in and Professor Williamson is about to deliver the news so they tell you you're marginally increased risk of for instance lung cancer but if you're not a smoker we're at very low risk of lung cancer anyway if you're not a smoker and you haven't been exposed to asbestos having said that there's one piece of information here which is interesting and it's so interesting that I went back right into the DNA sequence to work out what was going on and that is you're at slightly increased risk of Alzheimer's disease roughly double the risk of Alzheimer's disease double double the risk the population risk of Alzheimer's disease and that's because you've got a variant of one particular Gene now with a result like this you might think of doing crosswords you you might think of going out for a run because it's been shown that people who exercise their brain are more likely to delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease even if they're in an at-risk group for Scott cam this wasn't the news he'd expected nor Lane beachley Well Lane looking at the list here you do have this somewhat increased risk of Alzheimer's disease about double the population average and it's actually a bit more significant even than that because that's a risk in your 70s so what the higher the number the earlier the number the higher the risk of course but but does that mean the earlier the onset as well um not in most cases but in this case it does so I've got a great excuse for forgetting people's names you've got a good excuse definitely all right when it comes to breast cancer you're pretty much on the average risk a little bit lower a bit of good news there that's good heart attack a little bit above the average risk bad news there but to be honest those are those are really very very much in the normal range and then there's me okay give me the news is it good or is it not so good you've actually got a very nice set of genetic figures here um you have a marginally elevated risk of breast cancer but that's not one of these genes that causes a very high risk it just means it's something that you'll need to think about and very low risk of developing a number of eye diseases so it looks like your vision's going to be okay well all of that is good news I think there is value in this is there not provided you're the sort of person who can take these things and live with them and realize that they're not determining what illness you'll get they're just a hint unless you come up with one of those cancer genes or heart disease genes that really is important for those three people in a hundred four people and a hundred this could be very important it could be life-saving we didn't ruin your day did we no all good news Liz I reckon apart from the Alzheimer's I'm glad uh Bob didn't say you've got an 80 chance of getting cancer I'm really glad that didn't happen and same with heart disease but you you know I've got to watch what I uh eat and do and I'm going to lose weight and and then I'll have a lower risk has this been a positive experience or no or not now that I know that I have a higher incidence of of Alzheimer's I'm going to do everything I can to prevent the onset of it you'll change something so do extra things I'll probably do extra things yeah I'll probably start playing sudoku or learning another language that's one thing I would not want you to do is to go away and think that you were going going to get Alzheimer's no I refuse to I refuse to take this test home and go okay this is what I'm in for it's still about your health and your environment and and maintaining a healthy body and a healthy mind it's up to you it is up to you and that's the lesson genes are just one part of the equation but these tests do give us a hint about what might come our way and an opportunity to change the way we live our lives and maybe even Save Our Lives eat Plenty of Fish mate is that what it is omega-3 eating plenty of fish is always a good thing to do careful good for your health so what we've worked out is stay off the smokes go for a run around the block do some crosswords and I can have a drink yeah I love your work Bob hello I'm Nick McKenzie thanks for watching 60 Minutes Australia subscribe to our Channel now for brand new stories and exclusive Clips every week don't miss out on our extra minute segments and full episodes of 60 Minutes on ninenow.com.u and the Now app

Channel: 60 Minutes Australia

Views: 382,253

Keywords: 60 Minutes, 60 Minutes Australia, Liz Hayes, Tara Brown, Tom Steinfort, 60Mins, Amelia Adams, news, world news, news australia, investigative journalism, 60 minutes australia youtube, 60 minutes youtube, 60 minutes episodes, 60 minutes australia episodes, 60 minutes australia, 60 minutes, DNA, DNA test, health, wellness, testing, health test, disease, illness, alzheimers, alzheimer's, cancer, heart disease, heart attack

Id: D0de_c8glYs

Length: 14min 11sec (851 seconds)

Published: Wed Jun 07 2023