Effectiveness of breath acetone monitoring in reducing body fat and improving body composition: a randomized controlled study

When attempts to lose body fat mass frequently fail, breath acetone (BA) monitoring may assist fat mass loss during a low-carbohydrate diet as it can provide real-time body fat oxidation levels. This randomized controlled study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of monitoring BA levels and providing feedback on fat oxidation during a three-week low-carbohydrate diet intervention. Forty-seven participants (mean age = 27.8 ± 4.4 years, 53.3% females, body mass index = 24.1 ± 3.4 kg m−2) were randomly assigned to three groups (1:1:1 ratio): daily BA assessment with a low-carbohydrate diet, body weight assessment (body scale (BS)) with a low-carbohydrate diet, and low-carbohydrate diet only. Primary outcome was the change in fat mass and secondary outcomes were the changes in body weight and body composition. Forty-five participants completed the study (compliance rate: 95.7%). Fat mass was significantly reduced in all three groups (all P< 0.05); however, the greatest reduction in fat mass was observed in the BA group compared to the BS (differences in changes in fat mass, −1.1 kg; 95% confidence interval: −2.3, −0.2; P = 0.040) and control (differences in changes in fat mass, −1.3 kg; 95% confidence interval: −2.1, −0.4; P = 0.013) groups. The BA group showed significantly greater reductions in body weight and visceral fat mass than the BS and control gro ups (all P< 0.05). In addition, the percent body fat and skeletal muscle mass were significantly reduc...
Source: Journal of Breath Research - Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Source Type: research