Types of Genetic Traits

Genetic traits follow different inheritance patterns depending on how many copies of a gene you have and how they work together. Understanding these patterns helps explain why some traits appear in certain family members and others don't.

Dominant Traits

Sometimes, having a single copy of a gene results in a disease or trait. We call this a dominant genetic model. For example, someone with a single risk allele for Huntington's disease will develop the condition.

Recessive Traits

Some diseases or traits only occur if you have two copies of a gene. We call this a recessive genetic model. Sickle cell anemia is one example.

Additive Traits

Most traits don't follow simple dominant or recessive patterns. Instead, the majority of traits are the result of multiple genes working together in an additive manner.

Human height follows an additive model. For each gene that influences height, two copies of the "tall" allele add twice as much total height as having only one copy. Because many genes influence height, most alleles and variants work this way.

Looking for help with your results?

SelfDecode has two AI options to help you explore your health data:

  • DecodyGPT — our built-in AI health coach, available directly in your account
  • Connect via MCP integration — link your SelfDecode data to ChatGPT or Claude for AI-powered insights using your own account

Want more from your SelfDecode plan?

The Ultimate Bundle includes all of our current premium reports in one package:

Upgrade from your dashboard or email support@selfdecode.com with questions.

Did this answer your question? Thanks for the feedback There was a problem submitting your feedback. Please try again later.