What is Cohort Comparison?
When you view a health metric — like your HbA1c or blood pressure — Cohort Comparison places it in context by showing where you fall relative to people like you. Your "cohort" is a group of 23andMe members with a similar age, sex, ancestry, and genetic profile. Because the comparison is personalized, it may look different from general population averages you'd find elsewhere.
What voluntary information is used to build your cohort?
- Age — based on the date of birth in your account
- Birth sex — based on what you provided during registration
- Genetic ancestry — based on your 23andMe ancestry results
- Genetic likelihood for certain health conditions — based on your 23andMe genetic results, where available, for the following:
- Coronary artery disease
- HDL cholesterol levels
- LDL cholesterol levels
- Triglyceride levels
- High blood pressure
- Type 2 diabetes
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
- Sleep apnea
- Gout
- Insomnia
- BMI
- Chronic kidney disease (APOL1-related)
- Familial hypercholesterolemia
- G6PD deficiency
- Hemochromatosis
- MUTYH-associated conditions
- Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency
- Alzheimer's disease (APOE-related)
Not all of these conditions may apply to your results. Cohort Comparison uses whichever are available in your 23andMe profile.
Genetic findings are not diagnoses. Please consult a medical professional if you have questions.
How to update your cohort information
If your date of birth, birth sex, or other profile information is missing or incorrect, you can update it in your account settings. Changes you make will be reflected the next time you view Cohort Comparison.
- Go to Settings in your 23andMe account.
- Find the information you want to update and make your changes.
- Save your changes.
- Return to your Health Summary and refresh the page to see your updated comparison.
Why isn't my cohort comparison showing?
Cohort Comparison requires certain voluntary profile information to generate a personalized comparison. If a required field — such as your date of birth — is missing, the comparison won't display until that information is added. Follow the steps above to update your profile.
If you've updated your profile and the comparison still isn't showing, try refreshing the page. If the issue continues, contact us.