How to Read Your Apixmed Prism Report: Understanding Your Results

You open your genetic report and the first thing you see is dozens — or hundreds — of indicators, colour bands and phrases like “your risk of vitamin D deficiency is smaller than that of 76% of the population”. The natural question follows: is 76% good or bad, and what do you do with it? The most common mistake at this stage is reading the number as a guarantee: a high indicator means I will get sick, a low one means I am protected. The report is actually saying something different. Once you understand its logic, these numbers stop being unsettling and start informing your health decisions.

To understand how to read a genetic report, three things are enough: what the scale shows, what comparison with the population means, and where the line falls between genetic predisposition and diagnosis. Let’s walk through each of them.

What Your Genetic Report Contains

The Apixmed Prism report is built on your genetic data obtained by genotyping — analysis of genetic variants (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms, SNPs) from a saliva sample you collect at home.

For step-by-step instructions on collecting your saliva sample — How to Collect a Saliva Sample for a DNA Test at Home: Step-by-Step Guide.

The report has two levels of detail. The first is the high-level summary: a risk table covering all analysed indicators, each flagged with a predisposition level. At a glance you can see where genetic predisposition stays within the typical population range and where it departs from it. The second level covers individual indicators. It includes your result on the scale with personalised recommendations based on your predisposition level, a list of the genetic markers that contributed most to the score, and a reference block with practical and clinical context — the substance’s role in the body, recommended laboratory tests, links to diseases, and symptoms of deficiency or excess.

Exactly how many indicators appear in your report depends on the panel you chose. Apixmed Prism has three tiers:

• Prism Test — a starter set of core indicators (one test of your choice)

• Wellness Panel — 97 indicators across five areas (5 genetic tests)

• Ultima Panel — 211 indicators across 11 areas (11 tests)

The Result Scale: Three Levels and Where You Fall

Every indicator is assigned one of three predisposition levels: low, average or high. A marker on the gradient band shows which level your result belongs to; next to it is an explanation relative to the reference population (for example, “above average” or “below average”.

The scale reflects relative genetic predisposition, not an absolute level of a substance in the body or the fact that a condition is present. Colour serves a navigational function — it shows how far predisposition deviates from the population average. It is not a judgement of “good” or “bad”. The red end of the scale does not mean pathology; the green end does not mean the indicator can be ignored.

What "Smaller Than 76% of the Population" Actually Means

A result in the genetic report might read:

Your risk of vitamin D deficiency is smaller than that of 76% of the population.

This is not a forecast and not a probability of developing a deficiency — it is a relative genetic predisposition. It means your result is lower than that of 76% of the reference population. The genetics of complex traits — which includes both predisposition to most chronic diseases and vitamin absorption — describes population-level tendencies, not individual scenarios (Slunecka et al., Hum. Genom., 2021). The genetic report does not reflect your current blood vitamin D level: that is the task of laboratory diagnostics. Equally, a high predisposition to a condition does not diagnose it; it describes an individual range of susceptibility. 

What You See on Each Indicator’s Page

Every indicator page contains two blocks:

1. Personalised: your result on the scale, recommendations matched to your predisposition level, and a list of the genetic markers that most influenced the score — with rs-numbers, associated genes and your genotype. Rs-numbers are included for methodological transparency: they show which variants underlie the conclusion. You do not need to interpret each marker individually, since the report already integrates them into a single score.

2. Reference: the substance’s role in the body, dietary sources, symptoms of deficiency and excess, links to diseases, and approaches to laboratory diagnostics. This block is independent of your individual result — it describes the indicator itself, not your predisposition to it.

Why an Indicator Is a Predisposition, Not a Verdict

Genetic reports are most often misread through three established interpretation errors:

1. Equating high predisposition with disease

High genetic predisposition is a biological characteristic encoded in DNA that raises relative population risk but does not determine an individual outcome. Most conditions are shaped by the interplay of many genes, lifestyle and environment (Koch et al., J. Community Genet., 2023).

2. Treating low predisposition as full protection

Genetics is only one factor. Lifestyle, diet, stress and current clinical status all affect phenotype independently of genetic predisposition.

3. Comparing indicators with one another

Every indicator is built on its own reference scale and biological context, so the same level across different indicators is not equivalent and does not create an overall predisposition ranking.

What the Report Shows and What Remains for Your Doctor and the Lab

A genetic report should be seen as one of three layers of health information, each answering its own question. Genetics is the foundational layer: what the body is predisposed to from birth. Environment and lifestyle form the layer that either amplifies or softens that predisposition. Current state is reflected by laboratory tests and clinical examination.

Elevated genetic predisposition can explain what routine blood tests do not capture: a blood test records your state at the time of testing, while genetic context explains why your body functions the way it does. These layers do not compete; they complement each other — the genetic report provides context that makes the rest of your medical data easier to interpret accurately.

Moving from Report to Action

Your results provide a clear starting point for next steps. 

First, identify the indicators where predisposition deviates most visibly from the population average: those deserve attention first. 

Second, integrate these findings into everyday decisions about nutrition, supplements, sleep and exercise. If any results prompt further questions or relate to a specific health condition, discuss them with a doctor. Genetic data is not a basis for alarm — it is a reference point for what comes next.

If you have not yet decided on a test, explore the Apixmed Prism genetic testing options.

The Report Is a Starting Point, Not the Final Answer

A genetic report does not determine what will happen to your body in the future. It describes a baseline: how your body statistically differs from others in the population across specific traits. The scale shows your position, colours indicate what to prioritise, and the comparison with the population means your relative place among others — not the probability of developing a condition. Decisions are shaped by three inputs: genetic predisposition, lifestyle and clinical data from your doctor. The report provides the first of these and makes the other two easier to understand.

Genetic test results are not a diagnosis and are not a substitute for a medical consultation. The Apixmed Prism report provides genetic context that complements clinical findings and helps you make decisions together with your doctor.

References

1. Slunecka, J. L., van der Zee, M. D., Beck, J. J. et al. (2021). Implementation and implications for polygenic risk scores in healthcare. Human Genomics, 15(1), 46. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40246-021-00339-y

2. Koch, S., Schmidtke, J., Krawczak, M., Caliebe, A. (2023). Clinical utility of polygenic risk scores: a critical 2023 appraisal. Journal of Community Genetics, 14(5), 471–481. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12687-023-00645-z