plosone | The metabolic phenotype varies widely due to external factors such as
diet and gut microbiome composition, among others. Despite these
temporal fluctuations, urine metabolite profiling studies have suggested
that there are highly individual phenotypes that persist over extended
periods of time. This hypothesis was tested by analyzing the exhaled
breath of a group of subjects during nine days by mass spectrometry.
Consistent with previous metabolomic studies based on urine, we conclude
that individual signatures of breath composition exist. The
confirmation of the existence of stable and specific breathprints may
contribute to strengthen the inclusion of breath as a biofluid of choice
in metabolomic studies. In addition, the fact that the method is rapid
and totally non-invasive, yet individualized profiles can be tracked,
makes it an appealing approach.
