New mobile phone measures exhaled acetone volume to show weight loss effect

It has been reported that NTT Docomo, Japan's largest mobile phone supplier, has developed a new smartphone external device that can measure the amount of acetone in a user's breath to understand how much fat they burn, showing weight loss. This equipment shows advantages in testing compared with high-end laboratory equipment. The research results were published in the latest issue of Respiratory Research.

One of the difficulties in losing weight is the lack of real-time feedback. The significant effects of trying to lose weight are usually not evident in the present. But when people are in an unstable, transitional state of dieting or exercising, they always want to know if what they are doing is right or effective. To solve such problems, researchers found a way to provide dieters with more immediate feedback by measuring the amount of acetone in the breath.

Acetone is a metabolic product of the decomposition of fat in the body. It is excreted when a person breathes out, so it can be used as a good indicator of fat burning. The general method of measurement is gas chromatography or mass spectrometry, but these expensive and cumbersome laboratory equipment are not suitable for people's daily use.

The newly developed device is portable and practical, roughly the same size as a smartphone. The prototype is two semiconductor gas sensors with different sensitivity characteristics, which calculate acetone concentration while taking into account ethanol, hydrogen and humidity. Users can put a small tube in their mouth and blow. The device will measure the amount of acetone in their exhalation. With an encouraging news, a fat burning graphic will be displayed on the device's screen.

It should be emphasized that this device is not a gimmick. Researchers recruited overweight volunteers to verify its accuracy. One group of volunteers was asked to do a small amount of exercise over a period of time; another group was asked to both exercise and reduce calorie intake; and a control group neither reduced calories nor exercised. The researchers found that the device performed almost accurately like a gas chromatograph that accurately measured acetone levels, and the results it obtained from measuring acetone concentrations in breath showed strong correlation. In addition, people who controlled calorie intake and physical exercise had a significant decrease in body fat, while their exhaled acetone concentration increased significantly.

The results show that the device is very practical for self-monitoring of fat burning at home and will help prevent and reduce obesity and diabetes. This will be one of the growing number of medical devices designed in conjunction with smartphones. Devices used in critical moments rather than entertainment will show a strong growth trend in the future.

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