Researchers at the University of California, Irvine believe it may be possible to develop a breath analysis test to monitor blood sugar.
They tested the breath of 10 kids with Type 1 diabetes and found them exhaling higher levels of methyl nitrates, especially when their sugar levels were very high. This study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Journal.
Type 1 diabetes happens to be the most common form of diabetes in children. It is also known as childhood or juvenile diabetes. It occurs when the immune system goes haywire, and starts attacking insulin-producing cells (beta cells of the islets of Langerhans) in the pancreas, thus leading to loss of insulin.
It is imperative that people with Type 1 diabetes constantly check their blood sugar level using blood testing monitors, because, low levels of blood glucose (hypoglycemia) may lead to seizures or episodes of unconsciousness.
Currently, the blood glucose level can only be tested by piercing the skin to extract a small quantity of blood. This method is not only painful but it can prove to be expensive too.
Since the treatment for Type 1 diabetes is indefinite, I am sure that this noninvasive breath test will prove to be very successful. It will indeed be a great way to spare the jabs on the finger and yet keep a tab on the blood sugar level.
