Breath test for pupils will aid war on obesity

Study aims to reveal role of sugar fructose in nationwide epidemic

Aground-breaking obesity study that will breath-test thousands of Kiwi schoolchildren is off to a promising start, its leaders say.

The ambitious study, involving around 2000 students in its first year, aims to reveal the role of little-understood sugar fructose in the nation’s childhood obesity epidemic.

While fructose is the least understood sugar in our diet, studies have indicated it’s likely to be a major contributor to metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes.

Aimed at schools with high proportions of Maori and Pasifika students, the study will see students taking a simple breath test that measures hydrogen gas to record fructose absorption rates.

The research team, led by Professor Peter Shepherd of the Wilkins Centre at Auckland University, will then use the data to find how well the kids absorb fructose — and what its impact could be.

It is already known that there is a wide variation between individuals in the amount of fructose that can be absorbed from the gut into the bloodstream.

Those who are good at absorbing fructose are likely to retain more calories from sugar in diets than those who don’t absorb it well, which could explain why some children are more at risk than others.

What the scientists discover could therefore be crucial in identifying those most at risk from the modern food environment which would allow targeted interventions.

One third of school-aged Kiwis are now considered overweight or obese, and one in nine children between 2 and 14 are obese, including 30 per cent of Pacific children and 15 per cent of Maori children.

Figures also show one in five children living in socioeconomically deprived areas are obese, compared with one in 50 children in the least deprived areas.

Shepherd said his colleagues had already performed brief tests on a small number of Auckland Girls’ Grammar students to validate use of the machines.

A high school teacher working on the project as part of Master of Science studies is also developing curriculum-relevant material that will help teachers carry out the tests.

Shepherd said that while it was too early in the study to reach any scientific conclusions, results from the few students tested so far revealed a marked difference between individuals, which he considered a “great start”.

He is now looking to expand the programme outside Auckland, first to Opotiki in the Bay of Plenty and the Far North.

“We are seeking sites outside the main centres, as this is where the greatest need is, and schools and communities are struggling to get the type of input city schools can get.

“In the future we will of course include any school that wants to be involved — already, more than 40 have expressed strong interest.”

One researcher has been partially funded to work with the Moko Foundation to roll it out in the Far North, and another has a Health Research Council grant to bring it to Pacific communities.

In the future we will of course include any school that wants to be involved. Professor Peter Shepherd