Breath analysis is becoming increasingly established as a means of assessing metabolic, biochemical and physiological function in health and disease. The methods available for these analyses exploit a variety of complex physicochemical principles, but are becoming more easily utilised in the clinical setting. Whilst some of the factors accounting for the biological variation in breath metabolite concentrations have been clarified, there has been relatively little work on the dietary factors that may influence them. In applying breath analysis to the clinical setting, it will be important to consider how these factors may affect the interpretation of endogenous breath composition. Diet may have complex effects on the generation of breath compounds. These effects may either be due to a direct impact on metabolism, or because they alter the gastrointestinal flora. Bacteria are a major source of compounds in breath, and their generation of H2, hydrogen cyanide, aldehydes and alkanes may be an indicator of the health of their host.

Division of Medical Education Brighton and Sussex Medical School Mayfield House University of Brighton Brighton BN1 9PH UK

Guy Hilton Research Centre Institute for Science and Technology in Medicine University of Keele Thornburrow Drive Hartshill Stoke on Trent ST4 7QB UK

Guy Hilton Research Centre Institute for Science and Technology in Medicine University of Keele Thornburrow Drive Hartshill Stoke on Trent ST4 7QB UK ; J Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Dolejskova 3 182 23 Prague 8 Czech Republic

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Recent developments and applications of selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry (SIFT-MS)

Combining Thermal Desorption with Selected Ion Flow Tube Mass Spectrometry for Analyses of Breath Volatile Organic Compounds

Selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry for targeted analysis of volatile organic compounds in human breath

Quantification of volatile metabolites in exhaled breath by selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry, SIFT-MS