Abstract
The wealth of information concealed in a single human breath has been of interest for many years, promising not only disease detection, but also the monitoring of our general well-being. Recent developments in the fields of nano-sensor arrays and MEMS have enabled once bulky artificial olfactory sensor systems, or so-called “electronic noses”, to become smaller, lower power and portable devices. At the same time, wearable health monitoring devices are now available, although reliable breath sensing equipment is somewhat missing from the market of physical, rather than chemical sensor gadgets. In this article, we report on the unprecedented rise in healthcare problems caused by an increasingly overweight population. We first review recently-developed electronic noses for the detection of diseases by the analysis of basic volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Then, we discuss the primary cause of obesity from over eating and the high calorific content of food. We present the need to measure our individual energy expenditure from our exhaled breath. Finally, we consider the future for handheld or wearable devices to measure energy expenditure; and the potential of these devices to revolutionize healthcare, both at home and in hospitals.
Highlights
There are few ways to measure our well-being without subjective surveying
The molecular composition of our breath can provide a measure of our energy expenditure (EE), as well as the alcohol present in our blood; it can aid the diagnosis of diabetes or cancer and can help identify respiratory diseases, such as asthma
A wide range of different diseases have been reported to be detected from exhaled human breath; suggesting that breath analysis is a promising tool for future healthcare practitioners
Summary
There are few ways to measure our well-being without subjective surveying. Our own health, contributes significantly to us feeling well and can provide a tangible measure of our quality of life. The molecular composition of our breath can provide a measure of our energy expenditure (EE), as well as the alcohol present in our blood; it can aid the diagnosis of diabetes (ketones) or cancer (biomarkers) and can help identify respiratory diseases, such as asthma (nitric oxide). We will explore the wealth of information available through the analysis of exhaled breath measurements captured with simple chemical sensors, rather than expensive analytical equipment, such as gas chromatograph mass spectrometers. The calorific intake required for an individual can be calculated through equations, such as the well-known Harris-Benedict [6] or Mifflin St Jeor [7]. Breath analysis offers a proven solution to determine the energy requirements for a subject, based on the energy they are consuming. Arrays of sensors are usually required to detect the low concentration of a specific VOC (often in the ppb range), and pattern recognition algorithms are used to classify the response to a particular condition
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