- With Mayo Clinic genetic counselor
Carrie A. Zabel, M.S., C.G.C.
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Carrie A. Zabel, M.S., C.G.C.
Carrie A. Zabel, M.S., C.G.C.
"We must begin now to prepare for the future; we cannot wait until the details are known or fully understood."*
— David B. Schowalter, M.D., Ph.D., former Mayo geneticist, (*posthumous)
Carrie A. Zabel, M.S., C.G.C., is a board-certified genetic counselor who specializes in hereditary cancer syndromes. One of her main professional interests is the family medical history.
"Recognizing features in the family history which may suggest an underlying single gene disorder can have a huge impact on families," she says. "Identifying a genetic susceptibility gene can allow family members to more accurately understand their risk of disease and empower those who have an increased genetic susceptibility to take control of their medical management and lifestyle factors which may influence this risk."
She received her B.S. in biology from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in 2002 and M.S. in genetic counseling from the University of Minnesota in 2004.
She was a clinical genetic counselor at the Marshfield Clinic in Marshfield, Wis., before joining Mayo Clinic in August 2006 as a genetic counselor and educator for the grant-funded Mayo Eisenberg Genomics Education Program. During her time in Wisconsin, she was also an active member of the metabolic subcommittee of the state Newborn Screening Program and co-facilitated a phenylketonuria clinic.
At Mayo Clinic, she provides physician and staff education about clinically relevant topics in genomics. She also manages multiple education projects championed by Mayo Clinic physicians and is a faculty member for Mayo Medical School. In addition to her education roles, she sees adult patients in the Department of Medical Genetics.
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Genetics blog
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March 3, 2009
Can genetic tests steer children to the right activity?
By Carrie A. Zabel, M.S., C.G.C.
Advances in scientific knowledge and availability of technology have made genetic testing readily accessible to you. And, genetic testing is no longer just reserved for the doctors' office.
Multiple biotech companies have capitalized on your interest in genetics; they take the complexities out of genetic testing and make it as simple as online shopping. Each of these companies has a different list of options, but promises the same thing — the chance to better understand your health through genetic testing.
Some of the companies test for common health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer; others are focused on biological traits. For example, one company is now marketing a genetic test for children which will tell you what category of sports they are most likely to excel at.
This specific test looks for a common genetic variant in the gene ACTN3, one out of approximately 25,000 genes present in every cell of the human body. ACTN3 has been shown to have an influence on sports performance because it affects the construction of muscle fibers.
If a person has two copies of the common variant, they may do extremely well at endurance activities, such as long distance running. If a person has zero copies of this variant, the muscle fibers are constructed in such a way that makes them better at power sports, such as football.
Many experts argue that a child's physical abilities are much more complicated than can be predicted by a single genetic test; that sports performance is based upon a combination of multiple genes and environmental factors acting together. Others may argue that there is no harm in trying to understand and steer your child into activities in which they are more likely to succeed.
Can we, and should we, predict the areas of strength and weakness for a child, in sports performance or otherwise? Would this information be helpful or harmful? Let's hear your thoughts.
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