FoundMyFitness Review Summary
Summary
FoundMyFitness analyzes raw DNA data to provide personalized health and nutrition reports although it does not offer its own DNA test.
7 Facts from our FoundMyFitness Review
- Location: San Diego, California
- Products: Reports analyzing your DNA file from 23andme and AncestryDNA. Dr. Rhonda Patrick (founder) also has a podcast feed (The Aliquot) show for free
- Costs: $25 for a one-time report or one with lifetime updates and other perks ranging from $15 – $250/month. It is a pay-what-you-can service
- Reports: Information about noteworthy genes in your DNA data that can affect your health and lifestyle habits long term, plus recommendations on some of the health implications. The reports also cover less noteworthy genes (those that do not represent genetic risks)
- Raw Data Access: Since FoundMyFitness does not offer genetic testing, there is no raw data
- Privacy: The company shares your contact and financial data with its partner services, but you can opt out if you wish
- Complementary Products: Nebula 30X Whole Genome Sequencing is an affordable whole genome sequencing kit. It is 1000 times more informative than those of companies like 23andMe and AncestryDNA
This review is written with the intent to be as unbiased as possible. However, it represents the opinion of an individual reviewer and is therefore subjective. Furthermore, at Nebula Genomics we seek to educate the public about the benefits of Whole Genome Sequencing. Information about our Whole Genome Sequencing DNA test is therefore incorporated into the review.
August 8, 2022
Table of contents
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Speedy results
- Cheap subscription fee
- Free information from Dr. Rhonda’s podcasts
Cons
- Not a whole-genome sequencing program
- Does not offer DNA testing kits
- The website only accepts raw DNA files from 23andMe and AncestryDNA
FoundMyFitness Introduction
FoundMyFitness (Found My Fitness) is a company that analyzes raw DNA data and provides its customers with relevant genetic information regarding health and nutrition. The company, spearheaded by Dr. Rhonda Patrick, is known for its comprehensive genetic reports that reads data off DNA files from 23andMe and AncestryDNA. These reports inform about genes that have consequences on health and lifestyle factors.
Dr. Rhonda Patrick is the main face of the FoundMyFitness website and the company’s co-founder alongside Dr. Dan Patrick. Rhonda is a biomedical doctor who has experience with many different facets of medicine. She conducted graduate work at St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, where she performed scientific studies on the relationship between mitochondrial metabolism, apoptosis, and cancer. The April 2012 issue of Nature Cell Biology published a paper including her research on the topic.
Apart from the DNA analysis reports, FoundMyFitness also offers free reports on some body genes and functions such as circadian rhythm, metabolism, longevity, cholesterol, telomeres (TeloYears also offers this service), and many more.
Services
Its services come in two forms: the one-time comprehensive reports and the comprehensive report with lifetime updates. The former option comes at an extra cost of $25 and gives you a report on the genes that increase your risk of developing some diseases. It also reports other gene variants in your DNA that don’t affect your health but are present in the FoundMyFitness database.
As the website says, this report could get outdated due to constantly changing information on genes. So if you’re paying for the one-time report, you might need to pay for another one to check out updates. However, the lifetime updates option will constantly send them to your mail and give you first-peek views on Rhonda’s new interviews and access to premium member content.
Review of FoundMyFitness Science
The FoundMyFitness tests believe in using DNA files to analyze the most important genes affecting your health and nutrition.
FoundMyFitness does not analyze your genes separately to run them in a database, which is common in other companies. Instead, it runs your genes against the thousands of already published gene variants in its system. Those similar to the ones present in its database, which have connections to various health complications, are in the noteworthy genes section.
The report also highlights other genes present in your DNA (less noteworthy genes) that do not affect your health but are present in the system.
For more context, your report could read that you have the variant of a genotype rs3184504(T; T), which has relationships with an increased risk of celiac disease. It would then give a health recommendation such as to avoid gluten foods. It also notes that this gene is not the only causal factor of celiac disease and that you should consult with a health professional and not assume that you have celiac disease.
The report links gene variants to diseases and neurodegenerative disorders. This is no coincidence since that is the field of Dr. Rhonda’s specialty, where she has a wealth of knowledge.
Found My Fitness Review
How to take a FoundMyFitness test
After logging in to the website’s genetic section, you’ll then click on the ‘Get Your Comprehensive Report’ button. From here, the page directs you to create an account with FoundMyFitness.com.
After that, you have to grant FoundMyFitness access to your 23andMe or AncestryDNA page. This will allow the website to go through your profile registered with either genome sequencing company.
At this point, you have to certify your agreement with the Terms and Conditions. The summary states that you agree to potential errors caused by the file submitted. You also agree to verify the report with a qualified health professional before jumping to any conclusions.
After agreeing to all this, you complete payment for the chosen plan, and FoundMyFitness mails your report. It also claims that you can join over 300,000 people and get the latest distilled information straight to your inbox weekly https www.foundmyfitness.com newsletter.
FoundMyFitness Cost Reviews
The two types of reports offered by FoundMyFitness are the one-time comprehensive report and the comprehensive report with lifetime updates. Each costs $25 and $15/ month, respectively. Those opting for the lifetime updates can also decide to pay as much as $250. The highest monthly supporters get a free monthly Google Hangouts meeting with Dr. Rhonda and early access to her premium member podcast feed.
FoundMyFitness Reports Reviews
According to Dr. Rhoda, the company reports incorporate only the genetic data that she thinks is useful to health lifespan. She believes in focusing on genes with health implications or disease risk factors rather than sequencing the whole genome. She also states that the reports could be regularly revised as there could be updates to different SNP data, so it is advisable to run the test at intervals.
Apart from the noteworthy and less noteworthy sections, here are a few things that we found in the sample reports online:
- You could have multiple versions of the same gene in your report. This means that you have different gene mutations, and each has a relationship with different conditions.
- Found My Fitness Vitamin D example: You can find two genetic variants of the same gene linked to antagonizing conditions. For example, a gene variant could predispose you to Vitamin D deficiency, while another variant of the same gene could give you no risk of Vitamin D deficiency.
FoundMyFitness Podcast Reviews
Apart from the two plans for getting your comprehensive reports (discussed above), Dr. Rhonda also runs some interesting podcasts. They include interviews, video clips, and The Aliquot Podcast. These videos are available for viewing or you can read the full show notes here at https www.foundmyfitness.com.
The Aliquot Podcast includes unique, curated segments prepared and distributed to FoundmyFitness premium members. Premium members get access to exclusive episodes and premium member content just for them. These perks include exclusive episodes, emails, live Q+A’s with Rhonda and more: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/.
In these podcasts, known as Q&A mashups, Rhonda talks about various in-depth topics such as pregnancy, age related diseases, child development, fasting, sauna, hormetic stressors, and immune system function. There are also episodes about approaches for treating depression, insomnia, and more.
Recent specials
Some 2022 episodes include “Sauna Benefits Deep Dive and Optimal Use with Dr. Rhonda Patrick & Medcram”, “Building Muscle with Resistance Exercise and Reassessing Protein Intake with Stuart Phillips, PhD”, and “Intestinal Permeability: the Bacterial link to Aging, Brain Barrier Dysfunction & Metabolic Disorder”.
In June 2022, Dr. Stuart Phillips talked about how users could improve muscle. Dr. Phillips researches the roles exercise and nutrition play in influencing human skeletal muscle protein turnover and how these lifestyle factors influence body composition. He later did an episode on additional content not covered in this episode, including catabolic effects of heat.
She has had various specialists on the Interviews show, such as a Q&A with Dr. Giselle Petzinger on exercise for Parkinson’s disease, one with Tim Ferriss on biomarkers, and one with Dr. Jed Fahey on sulforaphane, moringa, and chemoprotection. Other episodes focus on the role of omega-3 fatty acids in resolving inflammation and how your body absorbs Vitamin C. You can watch the episode highlights on the website or on Youtube.
She also does clips that you can listen to for free. In one episode, she had Dr. Ronald Krauss discuss the effects of saturated fat on heart disease.
She also has some popular articles, such as the biology of breast milk, physical performance, the DNA damage effect of heavy metals, epigenetic age, and the benefits of intermittent fasting. Many of her listeners have complimented her for making complex medical topics easy for people to understand, while a few say she reads her podcasts from her articles.
In 2021, Dr. Roger Seheult appeared on the podcast to discuss his view on COVID-19 treatment options, in combination with vaccines.
FoundMyFitness Privacy Review
The privacy policy is not visible on the website. Instead, you have to make an engine search for FoundMyFitness’s Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. In the Terms of Use, the company states its rules of termination, warranties, and how you can use the website’s content.
The privacy policy explains the type of data the website stores, such as your contact, financial, and personal information from your genome sequencing page. It also discusses the uses and confidentiality it maintains with the data. This policy has been effective since May 10, 2019.
Other FoundMyFitness Reviews
Apple Podcasts rated FoundMyFitness podcasts 4.8 out of 5 stars. Many users lauded her for the ease with which she taught complex medical and genetic information, while a few claimed her podcast falls short of expectations by giving information quickly while only reading her articles.
Nebula Genomics
At Nebula Genomics, we offer a 30X whole-genome sequencing (WGS) kit, which gives you 1000 times more information than almost any other DNA interpretation site. Just like with FoundmyFitness, you have the option to upload your 23andMe or AncestryDNA files to Nebula Genomics to analyze 100% of your genome. However, with us, this service is free.
Also, you can purchase a DNA kit, and we’ll analyze it using the WGS method, in which we count every position on the gene an average of 30 times.
Due to the intricacy of the techniques used in WGS, the kit is usually costly. However, at Nebula, we made it our goal to make this kit very affordable for everyone. So now, you can purchase the 30X WGS kit for $299 or less.
Also, we are pretty meticulous when it comes to privacy. We use a combination of blockchain-based technology and privacy-preserving computing to ensure your data security while using our services.
When you buy our kits you get access to regular updates and personalized reports based on scientific discoveries and access to genome exploration tools. You also get access to your deep ancestry family tree (using Y-CHR and mtDNA sequencing).
FoundMyFitness vs. Nebula Genomics
| FoundMyFitness | Nebula Genomics | |
| Testing Method | Uses DNA from 23andMe and AncestryDNA | 30X Whole Genome Sequencing |
| Reporting | Your noteworthy and less noteworthy genes correlating with those in the FoundMyFitness database | Genetic predispositions |
| Ancestry reporting | No | Deep ancestry reporting with full Y chromosome and mtDNA sequencing |
| Tools to explore data | No | Yes |
| Security used on the website | SSL for data transfer, a certificate issued by Cloudflare | Blockchain, privacy-preserving computing |
| Focus on privacy | Limited | Yes (learn more) |
| Data upload options | Yes | Yes |
| Cost | $25 for a one-time comprehensive report, $15/month for additional lifetime updates | $0, $99, $299 |
If you’d like to get a comprehensive DNA report for free, you can upload your 23andMe or AncestryDNA test to our website. We’ll give you additional information about your DNA, all for free!
Other companies
If you want more DNA testing sites that focus on nutrition, you should check out these other reviews:
- DNAFit (in partnership with CircleDNA)
- Fitness Genes (data upload and DNA testing kits)
- GeneFood (data upload and a personalized nutrition test)
- Genopalate (data upload and DNA testing kit)
- Noom (subscription based nutrition service)
- Nutrigenomix (personalized nutrition based on 70 variants)
- Orig3n (various DNA tests – no longer available)
- Vitagene (diet and health)
Did you like our FoundMyFitness review? You can read more reviews on our blog and check out our complete guide to the best DNA test kit and other home tests.
