For many of us, being told how likely we are to be hit by a range of fatal diseases is something we would rather not know.
But a scientist has been given the first ever prediction of his risk of future disease after his DNA was completely decoded.
He was prescribed anti-cholesterol drugs to tackle his heart disease risk after colleagues at a leading university sequenced his genetic code.
'Seemingly healthy': Professor Quake, right, is the first person to have a clinical 'diagnosis' made about his risk of suffering future disease
The American researchers who uncovered Professor Stephen Quake's future risk predict everyone could be offered such testing within a decade for a few hundred pounds.
They claim he is the first person to have a clinical 'diagnosis' made about his risk of suffering a range of illnesses.
The results revealed heightened risks of heart disease, cardiac arrest, diabetes and prostate cancer, as well as his likely responses to certain medicines.
Prof Quake, 40, made headlines last year when he used new technology to sequence his own genome, or genetic code, for less than $50,000 (£33,000).
The latest study, published today in The Lancet medical journal, used his personal genetic data to make predictions about his health.
Prof Quake said: 'We're at the dawn of a new age of genomics. Information like this will enable doctors to deliver personalised health care like never before.
'It's certainly been interesting. I was curious to see what would show up.
'But not everyone will want to know the intimate details of their genome, and it's entirely possible that this group will be the majority.'
Colleagues at Stanford University School of Medicine near San Francisco, examined the scientist's genetic profile and combined the results with research information from studies about the genetic causes of different diseases.
Aspects of his family history were also taken into account, including the sudden death of a distant relative in his sleep at the age of 19.
Prof Quake, professor of bioengineering at Stanford's medical school, was screened for 55 conditions, ranging from obesity and Type 2 diabetes to schizophrenia and gum disease.
In some cases the normal risk of developing a certain condition for a man of his age was scaled down, and in other cases up.
For instance, he entered the study with a 16 per cent chance of developing prostate cancer in his lifetime.
But after incorporating information about 18 separate genetic variants from 54 studies, Prof Quake's personal risk of prostate cancer was put at 23 per cent.
The worst news was on obesity, type-2 diabetes and coronary artery disease.
Prof Quake - described as a 'seemingly healthy' man - was found to have a more than 50 per cent chance of developing any of these conditions.
The screening also showed how his body is likely to react to certain drugs.
Several genetic variants were associated with a good response to cholesterol-reducing statins, which he has now been prescribed to deal with higher-than-average levels of blood fats.
Already, tests are commercially available that read part of a person's genome - starting at around £300 - and giving a verdict on the risk of 50 common diseases for $2,000 (around £1,300).
Cardiologist Euan Ashley, one of the Stanford scientists, said the falling cost of genome sequencing would soon put screening of the full code within reach of the general public.
'The $1,000 (£657) genome is coming fast,' he said.
'The challenge lies in knowing what to do with all that information.'
Professor Henry Greely, from Stanford Law School, said patients, doctors and geneticists are about to be hit by a 'tsunami' of genetic data.
'We predict that an average person might need information about roughly 100 genetic risks,' he said.
He warned that it would take at least five hours to counsel the average patient about their genetic risks of disease, in addition to many hours of analysis to assess the nature of the risks.
By Jenny Hope
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