FAQS

The human body produces ketones as by-product when burning body fat (lipolysis) – this state is called ‘ketosis’. As the lipolysis rate increases, the amount of ketones produced increases. KETOSCAN measures how fast body fat lipolysis is occurring by measuring the amount of ketones in your breath.

A ketone is composed of 3 ingredients: acetone, β-hydroxybutyrate and acetoacetic acid. Acetoacetic acid is measured using urine testing (strips) and β-hydroxybutyrate is measured by testing blood (glycosuria).

Acetone has strong volatility and is emitted in your breath, so it can be measured by testing a sample of breath – this is the method by which KETOSCAN detects ketone levels.

The starting point of ketosis is around 2PPM (acetone reading) and at this level, body fat is known to be burning at a rate of around 1g per hour. As the ketone (acetone) concentration rises, body fat lipolysis starts to speed up.

It’s important to remember that high readings are not always good – the optimum level for weight loss is 10-40 PPM. If the reading is higher than that, unnecessary ketones are accumulating excessively in the body, which is not beneficial.

In very high concentrations of 60PPM or more, there is risk of ketoacidosis.

Acetone is a component of a ketone and has a strong volatility. It is emitted in your breath when your body enters ketosis – some people refer to this as ‘keto breath’. It is common for people on a ketogenic diet to experience this side effect – and some describe the smell as fruity and sweet.

KETOSCAN Mini and KETOSCAN Lite both feature a unique electrochemical cartridge which requires replacing at 300 test intervals, to guarantee continued accuracy. Find out more about our KETOSCAN cartridge change service here.

To measure ketones in your breath, KETOSCAN needs to detect acetone in extremely low concentrations. To do this, KETOSCAN uses a highly accurate electrochemical cartridge to give you a reading in PPM (parts per million). The sensor inside the replaceable cartridge is very sensitive and when used frequently, it is inevitably contaminated by particles in the breath.

After 300 tests, KETOSCAN will display a message recommending a cartridge change to guarantee continued accuracy. In the UK, you can book a cartridge change service with AlcoDigital, who will replace the electrochemical cartridge, recalibrate and check your device, before returning it to you.

Please note that after 300 tests, your KETOSCAN will not allow you to conduct any further use without a cartridge change.

You can buy KETOSCAN Mini and KETOSCAN Lite direct from us, with free UK delivery.

KETOSCAN is also available to buy at selected retailers.

Your KETOSCAN will display your acetone (ketone) reading in PPM.

The KETOSCAN Mini app will also display your ketosis level and your fat burn rates. Read more about interpreting your results here.

When you have signed into the app, it will prompt you to pair it with your device. At this point, turn on your KETOSCAN Mini (lid off, button on the side, press and hold to turn on – it will bleep) and the app will find it via bluetooth. Select the device from the list on the app (there will be only one – unless anyone nearby has one!). The bluetooth icon will appear on the LED display on KETOSCAN Mini confirming it has paired.

From here the app will guide you through set-up and using your device.

A blood ketone meter measures beta-hydro butylate (BHB) and breath ketone meters, like KETOSCAN, measure acetone.

In the case of blood testing, the remaining (or stacked) ketone bodies can be identified because the blood continues to circulate in the body, so when compared to a breath test there may be a difference in the number shown.

The unit of measurement for BHB is mM (1/1,000) and the unit of acetone for KETOSCAN is PPM (1/1,000,000) and since acetone measurement provides a higher-density measurement than BHB it also has the advantage of not being measured in blood.

Levels of acetone will vary depending on the type of diet you are following and your reasons for following it.

For ketogenic diets, you should be aiming for a reading of between 10 ppm and 40 ppm.

For low-calorie diets, the body fat reduction rate happens at around 5 ppm; for optimum body fat reduction, it is recommended that you aim for a reading of around 10 ppm. You can safely reach levels of between 10 ppm and 20 ppm on average if your body feels comfortable at that level.

It is important to note that readings will be higher when following a keto diet compared to a regular low-calorie diet. Above all else, it is important to listen to your body and find a consistent level that sits comfortably with you.

In the early stages of the keto diet, glucose stored in the liver and muscles is used up and retained water is released. At this point, you will lose weight rapidly but you may not get an acetone reading due to the fact you are losing water and not fat.

If body fat starts to burn consistently, your body will enter ketosis and you will be able to see an acetone reading and find your ketosis level with KETOSCAN.

If you eat too many carbohydrates, your body will find it difficult to break down fat and you will not see an acetone reading. We recommend that you keep monitoring your ketone (acetone) levels with KETOSCAN to enable you to tweak your lifestyle and maintain ketosis levels.

KETOSCAN Mini is supplied with five additional mouthpieces. KETOSCAN Lite is supplied with three mouthpieces.

For KETOSCAN Mini, using these mouthpieces is optional; if it is only yourself using the device, just use the built-in mouthpiece directly without an additional mouthpiece.

If you are sharing your KETOSCAN Mini with other users, we recommend that each person uses an additional mouthpiece for hygiene.

KETOSCAN Lite can be used without a mouthpiece, with the reusable mouthpiece supplied, or with a plastic straw.

You can clean the built-in mouthpiece carefully with a dry cloth or tissue after using it. Do not use any cleaning solution containing alcohol as this may cause damage to the sensor.

KETOSCAN uses a self-diagnosis function, which is a patented technology. If the device is not used for a while and left alone, even for a short period of time, gas around the house gets inside the equipment, changing the zero-point (base line) of the sensor which may influence the measurement. KETOSCAN has patented technology that can self-check the equipment status during the measurement preparation stage. If it decides that zero-point is incorrect, it does not show the measurement after blowing by the user but uses respiration gas of the user for zero-point adjustment and requires the measurement again. Self-diagnosis operates automatically according to the situation, so even if it occurs frequently, it is not that the function is degraded but it is for more precise measurement, so you don’t have to worry.