No dear, it's not always in the negative sense. Having gone through a breath test does not necessarily mean that you have been caught in a "dirty" drunk driving case. But a breath test may probe a little deeper, down your body to find out the level of Vitamin B12.
This breath test, newly developed by researchers is a non-invasive, yet a cheaper way to protect individuals from the lethal symptoms of Vitamin B12 deficiency. Researchers have claimed that this simple, non-expensive breath test can measure the level of the vitamin accurately.
Vitamin B12 aids in the decomposition of sodium propionate, a preservative, commonly used in bakery food items. The end product of this breakdown is carbon dioxide. Researchers intended to administer this preservative into the study subjects so as to get it broken down by Vitamin B12. The main objective was to measure the amount of carbon dioxide released.
The amount of carbon dioxide breathed out will be directly related to the level of Vitamin B12 present in the individual's body. If there is a deficiency of this vitamin, smaller amounts of carbon dioxide will be exhaled out.
Researchers used a stable carbon isotope for labeling the administered propionate in order to differentiate this carbon dioxide from what we normally exhale. At first, the test was conducted on individuals with Crohn's Disease and chronic pancreatitis. Patients above 65 years of age were also considered as a part of the study.
The subjects had to observe fast and were not allowed to smoke for 8 hours. Then they were made to consume 50 grams of propionate. Tests were conducted after every ten minutes in the first hour and for every 15 minutes in the second hour. However, the best diagnostic accuracy seemed to be the 10 and 20 minute intervals.
The recorded vitamin B12 levels were measured against various blood compounds which are used to determine the deficiency of this vitamin. In the end, researchers came out with the opinion that this breath test is a non-invasive as well as a specific procedure to detect vitamin B12 deficiency. Researchers are now awaiting its FDA approval.
