A move by the Food and Drug Administration that effectively shut down marketing of health data in a genetic test aimed at consumers may be part of a wider move to increase regulation of the industry.

The change could have widespread implications, both for people who may be interested in information about their genetic makeup and for health care professionals who are increasingly using high-tech diagnostics to fight disease. A 2012 report by UnitedHealth Group found that the U.S. is currently spending more than $5 billion annually on genetic testing, and that number may increase to $25 billion by 2021.

23andMe Inc., based in Mountain View, Calif., has been one of the pioneers of consumer genetic test kits. Backed by Google, the company was launched in 2006, and soon was offering what some refer to as "recreational genetics": tests that were marketed as a fun way to find out about your ancestry and possible genetic quirks, including whether you can taste bitter compounds in foods such as Brussels sprouts, or what type of ear wax you have. Consumers submitted a sample of saliva, and for $99, could get personalized genetic information from 23andMe.