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 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 breath acetone 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/m2) were randomly assigned to three groups (1:1:1 ratio): daily breath acetone assessment with a low-carbohydrate diet, body weight assessment (body scale) 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 breath acetone group compared to the body scale (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 breath acetone group showed significantly greater reductions in body weight and visceral fat mass than the body scale and control groups (all P<0.05). In addition, the percent body fat and skeletal muscle mass were significantly reduced in both breath acetone and body scale groups (all P<0.05). However, no significant differences were found in changes in body fat percentage and skeletal muscle mass between the study groups. Monitoring breath acetone levels, which could have motivated participants to adhere more closely to the low-carbohydrate diet, to assess body fat oxidation rates may be an effective intervention for reducing body fat mass (compared to body weight assessment or control conditions). This approach could be beneficial for individuals seeking to manage body fat and prevent obesity.