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Breath Collection from Children for Disease Biomarker Discovery
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Breath Collection from Children for Disease Biomarker Discovery

Published on: February 14, 2019

Urinary volatile organic compounds as potential non-invasive markers for childhood obesity

Adebowale Samuel Oyerinde1, Jeremy Carson2, Mallory Gibson2

  • 1Department of Nutritional Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA.

Metabolomics : Official Journal of the Metabolomic Society
|July 1, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Childhood obesity is linked to specific urinary volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These biomarkers could help identify overweight/obese children non-invasively, aiding early detection and intervention strategies.

Area of Science:

  • Metabolomics
  • Biomarker Discovery
  • Pediatric Health

Background:

  • Childhood obesity presents significant health risks, impacting multiple organ systems and increasing the likelihood of chronic diseases later in life.
  • Identifying reliable biomarkers for childhood obesity is crucial for early detection and management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate differences in urinary volatile organic compounds (VOCs) between normal weight (NW) and overweight/obese (OW/OB) children.
  • To explore potential racial disparities in VOC profiles related to weight status.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of urine samples from 159 children using solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS).
  • Employing multiple linear regression to correlate urinary VOCs with Body Mass Index (BMI) z-scores.

Main Results:

  • Sixty-five VOCs showed significant differences between NW and OW/OB children.
  • Ten VOCs emerged as robust predictors of obesity, independent of race and socioeconomic status.
  • The identified VOCs demonstrated moderate diagnostic potential with AUC values up to 0.737.

Conclusions:

  • Specific VOCs, including benzaldehyde and hexanal, are positively associated with higher BMI z-scores in children.
  • These urinary VOCs show promise as non-invasive biomarkers for childhood obesity.
  • Findings may elucidate the chronic inflammation associated with pediatric obesity.
Abstract

Keywords:
Childhood obesityNoninvasive biomarkersUrineVolatile organic compounds

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