University ETH ZurichResearchers have created a portable device that detects when the body starts burning fat when dieting or during exercise. Acetone is the by-product of fat metabolism that is exhaled via the lungs. People can therefore monitor their fat metabolism without professional support or blood tests. “We were able to demonstrate that our device can detect slight differences in fat metabolism accurately and reliably,” says ETH doctoral student Hersberger. Further studies are now intended to show whether the new measuring device can really be used to personalise therapies for metabolic disorders.