Urine Food Log is More Accurate than Self Reporting
A urine test that can reveal how healthy your meals are has been developed by UK scientists.
They think it could be used to improve nutritional advice or in weight loss because people are notoriously bad at recording their own eating habits.
The test, detailed in the Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, detects chemicals made as food is processed by the body.
The urine samples are analysed to determine the structure of the chemicals floating around in it using a technique called a proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
The results of your body processing fruit, vegetables, fish and different types of meat leave a distinct signature in the urine.
Clues to the state of the body’s metabolism and gut health can also be detected by investigating the chemicals in it.
Dr Isabel Garcia-Perez, one of the researchers at Imperial, said: “This will eventually provide a tool for personalised dietary monitoring to help maintain a healthy lifestyle.
In trials, around 60% of people either under or over report what they are eating.
Prof Gary Frost, another scientist at Imperial, said this could be the first independent test of what people munch on at home.
He told the BBC News website: “You can really tell whether someone’s been following a healthy diet or not.
The scientists were able to spot the difference between healthy and unhealthy diets after tests on 19 people who spent days eating a carefully controlled set of meals. read more at bbc.com