Thresholds Inflate Embryo Selection Benefits

Updated: 2025.10.07 14D ago 1 sources
Embryo‑selection risk claims often rely on the liability‑threshold model, which turns continuous traits into yes/no diseases. Small score‑driven shifts can push many people just below a cutoff, producing impressive relative 'risk reductions' that hide minimal real‑world change. For traits like obesity or type 2 diabetes, this can make modest phenotypic shifts look like dramatic cures. — This challenges how genetic services are marketed and regulated, urging clearer communication and standards so consumers and policymakers aren’t misled by dichotomy‑driven statistics.

Sources

What we talk about when we talk about risk - by Sasha Gusev
2025.10.07 100% relevant
The article’s BMI example: selection moves expected offspring from mean 41 to 40 (tiny change) yet yields a headline '50% risk reduction' for class III obesity due to the cutoff.
← Back to All Ideas