Bone density (eBMD)

Not a medical test — for research and educational use only

Yeliztli analyses consumer genotyping-array data (23andMe / AncestryDNA), which is not a clinical-grade test. Results are not diagnostic, are not clinically validated, and must not be used to make medical decisions. Array data is especially unreliable for rare, disease-causing variants. Always confirm any finding with an accredited clinical laboratory and discuss it with a qualified clinician or genetic counsellor before acting on it. See the Intended use & disclaimers page for the details and the evidence behind this warning.

This module estimates a polygenic score for heel estimated bone-mineral density (eBMD), a measure related to fracture risk.

What it looks at

A single published polygenic score, PGS000657 (gSOS, Forgetta et al. 2020), summarising many small-effect variants associated with heel bone density.

What you'll see

When available, a polygenic result with a raw score, z-score, population percentile, and the SNP coverage your array provided — plus an ancestry-mismatch warning when relevant.

Direction matters for this score: a lower heel eBMD percentile means lower genetically predicted bone density and higher fracture-risk context. A high percentile means higher genetically predicted bone density and is protective.

Often unavailable by default

PGS000657 is distributed under a non-commercial license (CC BY-NC-ND), so Yeliztli does not bundle it. This module reports unavailable unless you have separately fetched the score into your local scores database. When the score isn't calibrated for your ancestry, the percentile is withheld.

Good to know

• This is a research-grade risk-stratification signal only — it is not a substitute for a DXA bone-density scan (the diagnostic standard) or a validated tool like FRAX.
• Its evidence is intentionally capped low.