Breath tests can correctly recognize elevated glucose levels characteristic of pre-diabetes, a study shows. Researchers took blood and breath samples of 10 people with normal glucose tolerance and seven people with pre-diabetes every 30 minutes for 10 hours after they drank a glucose solution. The results showed that the amount of carbon dioxide in the breath measured glucose levels as accurately and quickly as typical blood tests. Scientists hope that breath analysis can eventually replace more invasive blood tests in pre-diabetes diagnoses, especially of children, who often fear needles.
Source: Diabetes Care, March 2009