FoodMarble Aire claims to be the world’s first personal digestive tracker. Find out everything you need to know about this upcoming product today in our review.
What is FoodMarble Aire?
FoodMarble Aire is a digestive tracker that has recently been featured on a number of major media outlets – including the BBC, Mashable, Forbes, and NBC. The digestive tracker works by testing your breath. Then, it uses data from your breath to gain insight into your digestion.
How can something track your digestion using your breath? Well, when your body can’t digest food fully, a lot of that food turns into gas within the gut. Many people cannot handle this gas, so it builds up to cause bloating, pain, diarrhea, or constipation.
Now, with FoodMarble Aire, you can measure how much of this gas is being generated. Here’s how the company explains their process:
“Fortunately, you can measure how much of this gas is being generated, since some of it will pass from the gut into the bloodstream. The gas then travels in your blood and when it reaches the lungs, it exits on your breath, where it can be measured.”
Aire might sound like some crazy technology, but breath tests are used at top digestive health clinics and gastroenterology departments around the world. FoodMarble has just adapted the technology to make it smaller, portable, and affordable for everyday use around the house.
Typically, a test like this is $500 at a digestive health clinic. With Aire, they’re offering similar functionality in a $100 handheld device – about the size of an iPod.
How Does FoodMarble Aire Work?
Aire is an iPod-shaped device that essentially works like a breathalyzer. You breathe into the device, then it analyzes your breath to give you feedback on foods in your system. After analyzing your breath, Aire will give you a score of 1 to 100 in order to rate your digestive comfort at the moment.
Aire works using a straightforward three step process:
Step 1. FODMAP Tests
FODMAP tests track your Fermentable Oligo Di-Mono-saccharides And Polyols (that’s where the acronym comes from). These are certain types of carbs found in a lot of foods. The carbs ferment rapidly in your gut, where they quickly turn into gas. These tests allow FoodMarble to determine how your gut responds to some common carbs like fructose and lactose.
One FODMAP test might give you a reading of 85 for fructose (poorly absorbed), 11 lactose (well absorbed), and 67 for sorbitol (poorly absorbed).
Step 2. Custom Diet
Aire lets you construct meals and snacks from foods that suit your unique digestive system. Aire can determine which foods digest best in your body, then build a healthy, well-rounded diet based on those foods.
Step 3. Symptom Control
You can track your food intake, gas levels, stress, and sleep to start bringing your symptoms under control. Aire lets you track which foods give you which symptoms. You can browse through fermentation scores for cantaloupe, cherries, cranberries, dates, and other foods, for example.
Who Makes Aire?
Aire was created by FoodMarble, and FoodMarble was created by Aonghus, who, according to the official website, “wanted to build a device to help his girlfriend find which foods were compatible with her”. Aonghus soon realized that he could make a device that could help a lot more people around the world.
In 2015, Aonghus created a breath analyzer with the goal of replicating the digestive tracking systems seen in hospitals and clinics. In early 2016, FoodMarble was officially founded, and the company was accepted into the Hax accelerator program. Half the team moved to China to develop the prototype into a consumer-grade device, while the other half of the team remained at home in Ireland to test the device.
In April 2016, Dr. Brief, a gastroenterologist, joined the team. The company also has other doctors on its medical advisory board.
In summer 2016, the company had a final product. By late 2016, they started accepting preorders. The estimated shipping date for preorders made today is September 2017.
FoodMarble Aire Pricing
Aire is priced at $99 USD to preorder through the official website. That price is expected to rise to about $145 USD by the final launch date.
The official website will automatically convert the price into your local currency.
To put that price into perspective, the test typically costs about $500 when performed at a digestive health clinic or hospital.
FoodMarble Aire Tech Specs
- Mobile Support: Android and iOS
- Charging: Micro-USB
- Dimensions: 55 x 55 x 12.5mm
- Weight: 50g
- Connectivity: Bluetooth LE
Should You Buy FoodMarble Aire?
Aire can be used by anyone with digestive problems. The device is a breathalyzer-like device that measures gases in your breath to gain insight into the foods fermenting in your stomach.
It can be particularly useful to those with irritable bowel syndrome or other digestive issues – or someone who just wants to learn how effectively their body digests different foods.
Aire is available to preorder online today at a price of $99 USD. The estimated shipping date is September 2017.
