Division of Clinical Epidemiology and Aging Research, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 581, D-69120, Heidelberg, Germany. Division of Preventive Oncology, German Cancer Research Center DKFZ, Im Neuenheimer Feld 460, D-69120, Heidelberg, Germany. Heidelberg Medical Faculty, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 672, D-69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
J Breath Res. 2019 Mar 1;13(2):026006. doi: 10.1088/1752-7163/aaf3dc.
Detection of diseases via exhaled breath remains an attractive idea despite persisting gaps in understanding the origin of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and their relationship with the disease of interest. Data on factors potentially influencing the results of breath analysis remain rather sparse and often controversial. In this study, we aimed to investigate the associations of common VOCs in exhaled breath of average-risk individuals with socio-demographic and lifestyle factors, medical conditions as well as diet.
Alveolar breath samples of 1447 men and women were collected in the morning after fasting and were analyzed using gas-chromatography linked with mass-spectrometry. Study participants were 40-64 years old, cancer-free, with overall good health status. The associations between selected VOCs and various factors determined from the questionnaire data were assessed using two-part-Wilcoxon test and Jonckheere-Terpstra trend test.
Fifteen VOCs where each of them was detected in at least 80% of the study population were included in this analysis. Statistically significant associations with various VOCs were demonstrated for gender and consumption of certain foods, such as coffee, leeks and garlic, while smoking was not associated with any of the analyzed compounds.
Factors potentially modifying the composition of exhaled breath, such as dietary factors, deserve careful attention in the design and analysis of studies accessing the use of VOCs as diagnostic markers.
尽管人们对挥发性有机化合物 (VOC) 的来源及其与相关疾病的关系仍存在理解上的差距，但通过呼气检测疾病仍然是一个很有吸引力的想法。有关可能影响呼气分析结果的因素的数据仍然相当稀少，而且常常存在争议。在这项研究中，我们旨在调查普通风险个体呼出气中常见 VOC 与社会人口统计学和生活方式因素、医疗状况以及饮食之间的关联。
在禁食后清晨采集了 1447 名男性和女性的肺泡呼吸样本，并使用气相色谱-质谱联用技术进行分析。研究参与者年龄在 40-64 岁之间，无癌症，整体健康状况良好。使用两部分 Wilcoxon 检验和 Jonckheere-Terpstra 趋势检验评估了从问卷调查数据中确定的各种因素与选定 VOC 之间的关联。
本分析中包括了 15 种至少有 80%的研究人群检测到的 VOC。研究表明，性别和某些食物（如咖啡、韭菜和大蒜）的消费与各种 VOC 存在统计学显著关联，而吸烟与分析的任何化合物都没有关联。
在设计和分析评估 VOC 作为诊断标志物的研究时，需要仔细关注可能改变呼出气组成的因素，如饮食因素。
