Close X
Friday, November 29, 2024
ADVT 
Health

A breath test could identify onset of diabetes in kids

Darpan News Desk IANS, 26 Nov, 2014 11:27 AM
     A sweet smell on the breath of your kids could have bitter health consequences as researchers have found that it could signal the onset of Type 1 diabetes.
     
    A sweet-smelling chemical marker (acetone) in the breath is linked with a build-up of potentially harmful chemicals (ketones) in the blood that accumulate when insulin levels are low, the researchers noted.
     
    "Current testing for diabetes requires a blood test which can be traumatic for children," said co-author of the study and professor Gus Hancock from the University of Oxford in Britain.
     
    These results - linking an increased level of breath acetone with increased levels of harmful ketones in the blood - could inspire the development of a diagnostic device to identify children with new diabetes before the onset of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).
     
    DKA occurs when a severe lack of insulin means the body cannot use glucose for energy and starts to break down fat instead.
     
    Organic compounds called ketones are the by-product of the breakdown of fat and, if left unchecked, can build up and cause the body to become acidic.
     
    Acetone, which is the simplest ketone, is one of the by-products produced in the development of DKA and is usually disposed of through the breath.
     
    In their study, the researchers collected the breath samples from 113 children and adolescents.
     
    The study appeared in the Journal of Breath Research.

    MORE Health ARTICLES

    Sloppy Contact Lens Use Is Driving More 1 Million Eye Infections Each Year

    Sloppy Contact Lens Use Is Driving More 1 Million Eye Infections Each Year
    NEW YORK — A new government report says sloppy care of contact lenses is a main reason for hundreds of thousands of eye infections each year.

    Sloppy Contact Lens Use Is Driving More 1 Million Eye Infections Each Year

    Phone use may lead to brain cancer

    Phone use may lead to brain cancer
    The longer someone talks over the phone - in terms of hours and years - the more likely is he/she to develop glioma, a deadly form of brain cancer, says a new study....

    Phone use may lead to brain cancer

    Artificial retina could help restore vision of elderly

    Artificial retina could help restore vision of elderly
    A team of researchers has created a wireless and light-sensitive, flexible film that could potentially substitute a damaged retina....

    Artificial retina could help restore vision of elderly

    Flawed gene may curb heart attack risk by half

    Flawed gene may curb heart attack risk by half
    Rare mutations that shut down a single gene called NPC1L1 are linked to lower cholesterol levels and a 50 percent reduction in the risk of heart attack, says an Indian-origin cardiologist....

    Flawed gene may curb heart attack risk by half

    Vitamin B doesn't stem memory loss

    Vitamin B doesn't stem memory loss
    A day before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Brisbane for the G20 summit, Australia is waiting anxiously for the Indian Prime Minister's overdue visit to commence....

    Vitamin B doesn't stem memory loss

    Personalized Genetic Test Could Predict Prostate Cancer Recurrence

    Personalized Genetic Test Could Predict Prostate Cancer Recurrence
    TORONTO — Canadian researchers have developed a genetic test to identify which men are at highest risk for recurrence of prostate cancer following localized treatment with surgery or radiation therapy.

    Personalized Genetic Test Could Predict Prostate Cancer Recurrence