Test Breath Ketones without a Ketonix (using a cheap breathalyzer)

[sugardaddy]

I bought one (different brand) I can test it in the morning and it reads .2 (drunk)but it is not consistent sometimes keto sticks show purple and breat test shows zero. Also the unit of measurement is different. The sticks are mg/dl a the the breathalyzer g/l. In need a refresher course in algebra

[sugardaddy]

Modern police meters are not confused by ketones

[Jimbo]

It’s not just the units that are different. They are measuring different things as well. Urine keto strips test for the ketones (acetoacetate) that your body has not burned and just excreted whole. The breathalyzer and ketonix measure the byproduct of burning ketones, acetone.

The blood ketone tests measure a third thing, beta hydroxybutarate, which is converted from acetoacetate to store ketones that your body is not going to immediately burn. Acetoacetate is an unstable molecule and will break down very quickly to acetone or be excreted if it’s not burned or converted to BHB.

[LeilaFigo]

This part of the discussion is very interesting to me. I have never understood how or why one person can have very foul breath and no BO even when working out, and a person like me can stink to high heaven but have no breath issues at all. It would follow that results and probably level of ketones from pee, saliva, and sweat vary tremendously depending on individual differences of metabolism, diet, hormones, and who knows what else.

[Matt_Wells]

Hey guys, thanks so much for posting all this awesome information! I just got my at6000 a few days ago. I’m wondering if you guys can help me make sense of my numbers and give a little guidance for troubleshooting.

My breath measurements:
First thing in the AM: .02%BAC
After work before eating: .01%BAC
After eating - until bedtime: .01-.00%BAC

I’m a 5’9, 180# male. Goal weight: 160.
Macros:
20-25g total carbs
60-70g protein
150-170g fat

I have a physical job ( on feet all day ) and exercise 5x week.
I IF every day until about 4pm - then consume the above macros. The only carb sources in my diet are: romaine, tomato, avocado, small portion of nuts (less than a serving), broccoli, and one serving of cheese. My protien comes from egg, beef, chicken. Extra fat from butter, coconut oil.

I have been eating keto about 3 weeks now. Based on my breath, can any of you tell if I’m actually getting in nutritional ketosis, or am I doing something wrong? Am I maybe not keto adapted yet - if that may be the case, how long does that take?

Thanks so much for any help and suggestions!

[Zimon]

@Matt_Wells I am not sure, but I guess if the breathalizer indicates acetone levels, it a sure bet that you are in dietary ketosis. From what I’ve seen, the threshold you have to pass in order to get a response from the breathalizers is high enough to definitely say that. I suggest you look at @KetoCowboy 's post linking to engineeringmyself in order to have some guidance.

I have tested three devices so far: the AT6000, the “Keyring”, and the Greenwon (used by engineeringsmyself). I think there are considerable differences between them, although you really cannot go wrong with each of them. My advice after testing the devices for some days now: Use them to check whether you’re in ketosis (which seems to definitely work), but don’t get hung up on individual levels. As do the acetoacetate levels (although a little bit less), the breath acetone levels vary depending on the time of day, physical activity, fasting, etc. If you want to track ketosis, the best way is to code it as a discrete variable (integers 0 and 1), not as categorial one. Even for the Ketonix, I would advise this.

Whether you’re keto-adapted or not is a difficult question to answer, but after 3 weeks with physical activity, there is a chance you are. But keep in mind that newer research indicates that the body evolves to keto even one year after starting a ketogenic lifestyle (according to the Ketogenic Bible). Just listen to your body. If you feel well, have no cravings, cardio activity runs smoothly, you have energy throughout the day, you can fast spontaneously without hunger pains then this probably means you’re pretty far into keto adaptation.

[Matt_Wells]

Thanks for the info. I’ll go back and read the link you mentioned (engineeringmyself). It makes a lot of sense to track as a discrete variable instead; thanks for that tip. My energy levels are incredible, strength and cardio levels rising quickly, and best of all, not a single craving - I’ve never experienced not caring about eating. Already fasted 48hrs with total ease. Can’t wait to go for a week sometime.

Thanks for taking the time to reply to my question! Keto is the greatest self experiment I’ve ever tried; excited to reap all the benefits of living like this long-term.

[Zimon]

Sounds like you’re keto-adapted then. I feel the same way, although my strength is not measurably above pre-keto levels for me. Cardio is fine, though. But I am lacking some weight, too, so I am not sure how strong I could feel really. I am 6,1, 150 lbs…

[Zimon]

A quick update from my tests so far

the AT6000, Greenwon values are in BrAC (which is mg/L). I used this measure because of the additional digit. But, as emphasized before, I think its best to interpret the values as discrete variables.

Seems that I am still deep in ketosis and both devices nicely correlate on my breath acetone levels. Not surprising, though, since, apart from calorie intake, I am still fully keto, doing 150-250g of fat, 40-70g of protein, 5-15g of total carbs.

[Frank_C]

@Zimon thanks for sharing your results… this is very helpful… a few questions:

have you used blood tests to check/verify these numbers?

is the urine measured in mg/dL?

[Zimon]

@Frank_C No I do not check my blood. I don’t have a blood ketone meter because it’s too pricey for me personally. So I use the “ketone excretion” and “ketone utilization”, rather than the “ketone production” indicators. Since this seems to work so well and I still get readings from my urine, I think 2 values are quite fail safe, wouldn’t you say? I would be curious to hear your opinion on this!

The urine is measured simply by checking the color references from pale (0), to dark purple (5). So a value of 1 would indicate traces of ketones in the urine, while 3 marks a medium concentration. I have to check what the measurement of my ketosticks are. I am using some third-party model ordered by amazon (not the original Bayer Ketostix)

edit: I just checked the reference card for the colors/1-5 values in my table:

1: 0.5 mmol/L = 5 mg/dL
2: 1.5 mmol/L = 15 mg/dL
3: 3.9 mmol/L = 40 mg/dL
4: 8 mmol/L = 80 mg/dL
5: 16 mmol/L = 160 mg/dL

[Frank_C]

@Zimon yes, thanks… I have been using urine strips, and mine measure in mg/dl, and I have not gone above 15. My understanding is that this measurement can be a inaccurate because, as your body becomes more efficient in utilizing the ketones produced, your urine will contain less of this marker… it seems the blood measurement is the most consistently accurate… I’ve got a meter on order, and will probably also add a breath test, so I can chart all three… I love “proof”! I will update as I get more info…

[Zimon]

Yes urine is the least reliable because it hinges on most factors that vary greatly from day to day. Breath is less prone to large differences i think (at least as long as you’re in deep ketosis). I am curious to see your three-pronged approach, though!

For me personally, checking urine is, again, a discrete variable. So far, breath and urine were constantly positive. I’ve never blewn a 0 or had a ketostick show a negative value. So I think I can be pretty confident in my keto-adapted state

edit: and it seems like I am one of those cases that keeps on excreting urine ketones quite extensively even after eating the classic ketogenic diet without screw-ups for 2 months now. My average macros are 88% fat, 10% protein and only 2% total carbs (I track this quite meticulously

[roxanne]

Just a follow up, I replaced the batteries and I’m once again getting consistent readings with my AT6000, around 0.06. I recall someone else questioning whether their device was broken or if the sensor had worn out, but the issue resolved with new batteries.

[Zimon]

Great, @roxanne ! I also recently noticed my AT6000 has an AC input, and it works!!! I just ran my first breath test without batteries That rules out errors dues to low power. Ain’t that great?

[roxanne]

Interesting, hadn’t noticed that…i’ll have to check around the house to see if I have a 5V adapter kicking around. Thanks!

[Frank_C]

When I checked online to see about buying the AT6000, or the Greenwon, I found that Greenwon males the AT6000! so I’m a little confused by your results… but, there seems to be a cheaper Greenwon model (not the AT6000)… if so, have you found it to be as accurate as the more expensive model?

[Zimon]

the Greenwon for me is not the AT6000. the Greewon ist this one. The AT6000 is the one mentioned in the very first post.

[Zimon]

About accuracy: I think you can get a grasp about that by looking at the correlation I found so far. They seem to be fairly in line I think

[devhammer]

I recall someone else questioning whether their device was broken or if the sensor had worn out, but the issue resolved with new batteries.

Might have been me. I noticed that when I replaced the batteries, I got better results. And the screen stopped being too dim to read.