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

ketonix
acetone
breath
(Ben) #101

I measure the following morning

#102

Ah, now Iā€™m curious too.

(G. Andrew Duthie) #103

Just got mine. Looks like @Loloā€™s, but ā€œGreenwonā€ branded. Mine came with a box, even. Fancy.

Tried it a few times. Seem to be consistently reading between 0.03 and 0.05 BAC.

The manual said to wait 3 min between testing, I guess to allow the sensor time to clear the last breath. Testing without blowing right after testing will still sometimes register high BAC levels.

The keto urine testing strips I have are showing mid-level ketones, so certainly seems like the meter is consistent with that. Hopefully, this will be a cheap way of at least getting a yes/no answer for ketosis.

(Stephanie Hanson) #104

I would love to know his results as the professional ones are supposed to distinguish alcohol from acetone.

(Stephanie Hanson) #105

I just ordered the AT6000. I have a ketonix and blood ketone meter. Lately, I feel like the ketonix is not as accurate as it used to be. It will blink green when my blood ketones are over 1. In the past, if my blood ketones were high, it would blink red. I donā€™t plug it into my laptop anymore b/c the software collides with my anti-virus program and is always shutting down. I just count blinks.

Itā€™ll be interesting to see if the cheaper one will give a result that correlates with the ketonix or BK.

BTW, I bought a different cheap one when I first started keto and it had crazy fluctuations that made no sense. So even the cheap versions may have variation.

#106

I look forward to hearing your results.

(A ham loving ham! - VA6KD) #107

48 hours fasted and I guess I really shouldnā€™t drive! :smile:

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(G. Andrew Duthie) #108

Seems odd to me, but I started a (fat-supplemented) fast last night, so Iā€™m theoretically around 18 hours fasted, and yet my readings are currently lower (0.02 vs 0.05) than when I was just IFing with just breakfast.

I have to wonder how much the readings are affected by what youā€™ve had to drink prior to testing (Iā€™ve had coffee, and salt water with some sugar-free drink mix).

Iā€™ve only been testing for a couple of days, so I donā€™t have much data to work with yet.

(A ham loving ham! - VA6KD) #109

I had surgery yesterday and was 24 hours fasted before that. I still donā€™t have an appetite, so I figured Iā€™d just continue with the fast for a bit longer. Only thing Iā€™ve had by mouth is water with a bit of lemon juice. I had saline by IV but no glucose (by my request).

(G. Andrew Duthie) #110

Perhaps the sensor technology has improved in the last 10 years (one would hope), but this is still an interesting read on the topic of breathalyzers and ketones:

https://proteinpower.com/drmike/2007/05/21/low-carbers-beware-the-breathalyzer/

I do wonder about the question of whether whatā€™s being detected is isopropinol or acetone. If itā€™s the former, then it might be wise for low-carb/keto folks to be prepared to ask for a blood alcohol test after a traffic stop, as Eades suggests.

(Roxanne) #111

I have yet to buy a cheap meter but he told me that their sensors are smart enough to ignore ketones

(Stephanie Hanson) #112

My brother is a LEO and told me the same. I hope Sure hope so as our numbers are growing

#113

My AT6000 arrived today and I am getting consistent readings of 0.09-0.12 BAC
My first couple of attempts I got a zero reading, and the issue for those registering 0.00 BAC would most likely be the blowing technique.
What i would suggest for those not getting a score (and are expecting a positive reading because they are in ketosis) is to:

  1. do not blow too hard, a very gentle blow is sufficient, and
  2. do not take a deep breath before you blow, instead blow when your lungs are almost empty
    when I do the above I get a reading EVERY time
(Roxanne) #114

Thanks for the tips. I finally broke down and ordered one on eBay - estimated one month delivery time!

(paul ) #115

so i am going to order mine today but what is a good reading, anything or .05 and up?

(G. Andrew Duthie) #116

Wish I knew. I rarely see lower than 0.03, but the highest Iā€™ve seen is 0.06, and that only once.

It seems clear thereā€™s a difference between keto and non-keto, though, as my wife, who is not keto, got a 0.00 reading.

I should have my older son try it in the morning, as Iā€™ve heard (on the most recent 2KD podcast with Tom Naughton) that kids shift into and out of keto readily, and that kids who arenā€™t eating a lot of sugar probably end up in ketosis overnight most nights. Given my sonā€™s build, that wouldnā€™t surprise me.

(paul ) #117

Thanks Dev. Good to know i have been in ketosis for 5 months and lost good weight (50), but now its coming off alittle slower and the sticks seem to be getting lighter also> I chaulk this up to being in Ketosis so long. I am still less then 10carbs a day, every day and never have a cheat day. I bought a blood meter but you need a morgtage to buy the sticks so I wanted to try the breathalyzer.

(Todd Allen) #118

Hereā€™s a little chart I made to compare the results of my cheap acetone reading breathalyzer to a ketonix. I went point by point on the breathalyzer for the range Iā€™ve experienced and added in the yellow and red warning transitions for reference.

0.00 BAC% = 0.00 ppm = ketonix 0 : blue
0.01 BAC% = 0.26 ppm = ketonix 28 : blue
0.02 BAC% = 0.52 ppm = ketonix 40 : blue just shy of green
0.03 BAC% = 0.78 ppm = ketonix 47 : marginally green
0.04 BAC% = 1.04 ppm = ketonix 50 : green
0.05 BAC% = 1.30 ppm = ketonix 53 : green
0.06 BAC% = 1.56 ppm = ketonix 56 : green
0.07 BAC% = 1.82 ppm = ketonix 58 : green
0.08 BAC% = 2.08 ppm = ketonix 60 : green

0.15 BAC% = 3.90 ppm = ketonix 70 : yellow
0.42 BAC% =11.10 ppm = ketonix 85 : red

For about a month Iā€™ve been alternating roughly a week of eating to satiety where I average ~2000 kCal/day with ~75 g protein / day with a week of pseudo fasting where I aim to average ~700 kCal/day and restrict protein below 25 g / day.

Iā€™m pleased when Iā€™m in the BAC% range 0.03 to 0.05 which is where I desire to be most of the time with brief drops to 0.02 being ok and pleased with the spikes above 0.05 though I donā€™t try to force them.

When eating to satiety Iā€™ll blow 0.03 when I mostly stick to leafy greens for carbs (<20 g net), 0.02 if Iā€™m lenient (exceed 30 g net carbs) and drop to 0.01 if I really over indulge (> 40 g net).

During my pseudo fasts the highest Iā€™ve hit was 0.08 and the lowest has been 0.03 going quite high carb (~50 g net). Restricting total calories and especially protein for a few days makes it easy to maintain ketone levels and allows indulgences like green salads topped with cucumber, peppers, tomatoes, red onion.

Drops in my BAC% tend not to occur until 2 to 3 hours after a meal and typically take 6 to 12 hours per 0.01 of rebound. Exercise or exertion can cause a quick drop followed by an accelerated rebound.

Greenwon Tester
#119

Wow, thanks for all this. Itā€™s really helpful as far as what those numbers might actually mean.

(Ben) #120

Thanks @brownfat thatā€™s useful to know. It gives a reference point for these breathalyzer readings.

Iā€™ve been 0.04 mostly since I got mine. Today Iā€™ve been up to 0.07.

My own n=1 with the gadget was to see how a couple of pints of beer affect my ketosis. And the following day my readings drop to 0.02, which to me is acceptable. Part of the reason for looking into this is that I have several friends that I think would really benefit from going keto. And I know Iā€™d have no chance of persuading them if I cut out beer entirely - they would regard that as a sacrifice too far, Iā€™m sure.