Japanese Researchers Develop Breathalyzer That Tells You How Many Calories You Have Burnt

Researchers in Japan have developed a new portable breathalyzer that can calculate how many calories your body is managing to burn up, according to a new study published in the Journal of Breath Research. The device has been developed by researchers at NTT Docomo and is 4 inches long and weighs about 4.5 ounces. The device works by measuring the levels of acetone, a metabolite that is produced when fat is burnt, in the breath. The results of the test are then sent to an Android-based smartphone via Bluetooth or cable.

Senior research engineer at NTT Docomo, Satoshi Hiyama revealed that the results of the device were as reliable as the ‘gold standard’ tests, such as gas chromatography, that measures metabolite.

The researchers tested the device by asking volunteers to blow into the breathalyzer and also into a special collection bag which was used in the conventional chromatography method. They found that the results reached by the breathalyzer correlated with that of conventional gas chromatography throughout the study period.

“We found that the concentrations of breath acetone obtained from our prototype and from conventional gas chromatography have a strong correlation throughout our experiments. Enabling users to monitor the state of fat burning could play a pivotal role in daily diet management”, Hiyama said.

Source-Medindia