This digestive tracker can help you control your farts
LAS VEGAS — Nothing can stop you in your tracks faster than a bad case of the tummy rumbles.
We've all had an unfortunate bout of indigestion but this new digestive tracker may be able to help find out what foods are more compatible with your body.
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The AIRE by FoodMarble is a portable app-connected gadget that is able to analyze the amount of gas in your bloodstream the way a breathalyzer would monitor your blood alcohol level. According to FoodMarble, certain foods that don't gel with your system cause a buildup of gas in your gut.
That gas can then pass through the bloodstream and into your lungs where it can then be measured.
Image: foodmarble
Using the AIRE does take a small amount of work at first. When you exhale into the AIRE, the device monitors your FODMAP (Fermentable Oligo-, Di-, Mono-saccharides and Polyols) levels, which are a certain type of carbohydrates found in many foods that can easily ferment and turn into gas in your gut.
In order to get these readings, you first need to get a baseline on an empty stomach. Next you mix a FODMAP sachet that's included with the AIRE with water, drink it and monitor your results every 15 minutes for about 3 hours, or until the tracker measures a fermentation spike or you're finished digesting.
Once you have a reading for each packet, the device can estimate from your results how you'll respond to certain foods, and a food logger built into the app can help you track foods that you eat and how they respond with your body.
While AIRE claims it can help with digestive tracking, it's designed mainly to help people with bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhoea and constipation.
So if you think you have a gluten problem or need help with your acid reflux, this is not the tool for you. But, if you want to find out if the apple you ate with lunch or the ice cream you stuffed in down your gullet two hours later gave you a bad case of the runs, then this may be able to help you figure it out.
Image: foodmarble
The device is sleek and slim, and comes in a variety of colors. The app, which is available for both Android and iPhone is extremely straightforward and unlike some trackers, it's not so complicated that logging is more annoying that the payoff.
The mouthpiece can also be removed for cleaning, and separate profiles can be used for multiple people.
While this technology has been used by gastroenterologists for years, the AIRE puts it into the pocket of the consumer, because nobody likes hanging out in the waiting room at the doctor's office.
And while this may help you figure out what works with your body, it should never be a replacement for a real live doctor with medical expertise. So if you've got some serious tummy issues, see a professional.
The AIRE is currently available for preorder at a discounted price of $99 (down from $149) and is expected to ship this fall.
