FAQs

Minimum requirement: Android 11 and iOS 14

The app can be downloaded from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.

The app is designed to be used on Apple and Android phones. It can also be used on some tablet products, but user experience may vary based on screen size.

An internet connection is required to create an account and to synchronize collected data to the centralized database. However, an internet connection is not required to collect data either directly using the app or when using a connected Breath Analyzer device.

Data usage has been optimized. However, the amount of data consumed in association with data transfer to/from the app is depended on the quantity of data collected by the end-user.

All mobile apps will contribute to battery power consumption if they are active and regularly used. Battery power drain is comparable to other apps in general terms.

The app is currently available to download in the UK and US regions.

Yes, the app is free to download and use to record symptoms, food/drink and lifestyle data to characterize gut health. However, enhanced data insights are enabled when the app is used with a connected Breath Analyzer.

App Store

Google Play

Yes, the app can be used in this way. However, enhanced data insights are enabled when the app is used with a connected Breath Analyzer.

You will be able to see the data that you collect in the app, and you can choose when and you want to share data reports with (e.g. healthcare professionals). OMED Health manages your data in accordance with its Privacy Policy.

Your data will always be stored whilst you are actively using your account and for a further period of three years following a defined period of account inactivity. OMED Health will communicate with its end-users to discuss or update on its policy for data storage periodically.

The quantity of data stored locally on your phone/tablet will vary based on the quantity of data that you collect. However, data is regularly synchronized to a centralized database and local data storage is optimized to be as minimal as possible.

At present the app is available in English (United States). Other languages will be available in future.

Collected data is stored centrally in a secure, region-specific, cloud-hosted database.

Yes, you can request and retrieve a copy of the data that you have collected in a raw format directly using the app. Visit My Account, App Settings then Download Data.

It typically takes just a few seconds to log different data types. We’ve specifically developed the app with features to make it quick and easy to log data.

You can choose to share data that you collect using the app whenever you want to, either using the app directly and its features to generate summary reports (i.e. Request Report via the ‘…’ icon on the home page.

Yes, you can delete your account directly using a feature within the app on the My Account, App Settings screen. Alternatively, you can request a member of the OMED Customer Support Team to delete your data from our database on your behalf via support.omed@owlstone.zendesk.com

You can log symptoms, potential symptom triggers (food and drink, stress, exercise and sleep quality) and the concentration of hydrogen and methane gas in your breath using a connected OMED Health Breath Analyzer.

Yes, you can log all data types retrospectively over the past 14 days, except for breath sample data – which can only be logged at the time of breath sample collection using a connected OMED Health Breath Analyzer.

The infrastructure has been developed to provide a level of security that is appropriate for special category medical data. The data security measures are applied to local data storage on your phone or tablet as well as for transfer of data to/from centralized regional databases.

Yes, you can log into the app on different devices once you have downloaded the app and created an account.

You can use the app for as long as you need to or want to – whether that is with or without a connected Breath Analyzer. It is strongly recommended that the app and Breath Analyzer are used in conjunction with a medical practitioner/healthcare professional.

The app and Breath Analyzer are currently intended to be used by people who are 16 years of age or older.

You can log data using the app and Breath Analyzer whenever you want to. However, you are strongly recommended to follow a data collection regime that is agreed with your clinician and appropriate for the purpose. In general, plan to collect 4-6 breath samples per day as part of your data collection regime.

Yes, its available on the OMED Health website for download.

Yes, the Breath Analyzer requires only a Bluetooth connection with your phone or tablet to be operable for breath sampling and maintenance operations.

No, the Breath Analyzer is required to be paired and connected to the app to operate. The app controls the Breath Analyzer and provides end-user guidance.

The Breath Analyzer is required to be operated within a defined range of temperature, humidity and altitude limits. The app will provide end-User notifications if conditions exceed these limits and further details can also be reviewed in the Getting Started Guide supplied with the product.

The Breath Analyzer must not be dismantled. Product warranty will be invalidated if dismantled. The mouthpiece of the Breath Analyzer can be cleaned when required using a cloth dampened with water. Refer to the Getting Started Guide supplied with the product for further details on cleaning.

The Breath Analyzer has been designed with built-in protection to enable it to be carried around e.g. within a handbag or trouser pocket. Avoid exposing the product to excessive particulate debris or moisture at all times.

Requirement to re-charge the battery will depend on frequency of usage. Re-charge the battery using the supplied charging cable when the side indicator on the Breath Analyzer illuminates red (not flashing). The battery is not user replaceable in the product.

The Breath Analyzer is designed to be operable for 2 years from its point of manufacture. Lifetime in the field may be subject to the frequency of use and the operating conditions within which it is used.

Breath sampling process takes 65 seconds to complete following a warm-up period of no more than 2 minutes. If you have recently collected a previous breath sample, you may need to wait up to 15 minutes before you can re-sample.

You will see the results for each individual breath sample in the app 30 seconds after providing your breath sample.

No, the Breath Analyzer is a personal healthcare device and is not recommended to be shared with other people.

The product is warranty is 1 year from the data of shipment to the end User. Further details on product warranty can be found on the OMED Health website.

You can use the Breath Analyzer at any time of day. However, you are recommended to follow a sampling regime that is agreed with your clinician to help ensure the data that you collect yields the most useful insights. It’s important that you store and use the Breath Analyzer in accordance with the guidelines provided in the Getting Started Guide.

You can order a Breath Analyzer on-line from the OMED Health website.

Yes, once the app has been downloaded and you have setup your account, you can use the Breath Analyzer worldwide.

Yes, you can take the Breath Analyzer with you wherever you go.

Yes, you can choose to share the data that you collect with anyone that you want to. You can show data collected in the app directly or download and share a summary report which is more specifically intended for a clinician to review. Summary Reports can be requested and downloaded from the ‘…’ icon on the Home screen of the app.

The length of time that you use the Breath Analyzer will depend on your personal preference and any recommendations that you agree with your clinician to monitor your digestive health.

The dimensions of the Breath Analyzer are 85mm x 55mm x 20mm.

The Breath Analyzer is intended for end-Users who are 16 years of age or older.

The Breath Analyzer measures hydrogen and methane gas concentrations on your breath in units of parts per million (ppm).

Your clinician will provide guidance as to when to collect breath samples.

Breath sampling is very straightforward and takes just a few minutes from the start to the end of the entire process. The app provides clear step-by-step guidance on how to provide a breath sample. There is also video guidance on how to provide a breath sample which you can view here.

Breath sampling is a simple, none-invasive technique. However, you are strongly recommended to discuss any pre-existing health conditions with your clinician before you begin to collect breath samples using the Breath Analyzer.

You will provide an initial breath sample by blowing into a test tube through a straw. This will give us your baseline reading.

Then, you will drink water containing a carbohydrate (lactulose, glucose, fructose or lactose) which needs to be drunk within a minute or two.

Breath samples then need to be taken at regular intervals over 2-4 hours (depending on which test you are doing), to monitor how your gut responds. Along with the samples, you will record any symptoms experienced using the symptom form provided, this helps your doctor to analyse your results.

Breath tests for digestive health detect small amounts of hydrogen and methane gases in your breath. Our bodies cannot produce these gases themselves. Instead they are made by micro organisms living in our intestines, and the amount of hydrogen and methane they produce provides valuable insights into your gut health.

In SIBO, the extra bacteria in your small intestine are able to use the sugars that you eat before your body absorbs it. These bacteria, along with other micro organisms, convert the sugar into hydrogen and methane.

In food intolerances, the sugars you’re intolerant to don’t get absorbed efficiently by your body, so there is plenty available for the micro organisms that live in your large intestine to convert into hydrogen and methane.

A lot of the hydrogen and methane escapes your body as flatulence or belching but some is absorbed into your blood. The hydrogen and methane in your blood is released in your lungs and can be measured on your breath with a breath test.

Breath tests are a simple and safe way to collect these gases from your breath to start understanding your symptoms. This forms part of the information that a specialist doctor can use to help you to take better control of your gut health.

At least 24 hours before starting the test you will need to limit your diet to the foods listed below. For the last 12 hours before starting the test you will need to fast completely (no food or drink).

If you normally do not eat any of the foods on the list then you will need to fast for the full 24 hours before the test.

Foods you can eat on the limited diet are:

• plain white bread (including gluten-free) – all forms of bread (baguettes, rolls etc.) and toast are allowed
• plain white rice
• plain white potatoes (no skin)
• baked or grilled white meat or fish (no oily fish, no skin)
• plain tofu
• a maximum of two eggs
• water
• non-flavoured black coffee or
• black tea (no milk, no herbal teas)
• only salt may be used to flavour your food.
• a little butter, oil or margarine is permitted (1tsp)

No other foods or drinks are allowed.

Milk and milk substitutes including oat, almond, rice and soya milks are not permitted.

Collecting each sample will take less than a minute. You will need to collect several samples at specific times over a period of 2-4 hours. Read the instructions provided with your test carefully before starting.

If you are a self-referred or private patient the results will be emailed to theyourself and/or the doctor that referred you or that we recommended to you. If you are an NHS patient, please contact the hospital that referred you for the results.

Once the kit arrives back at our lab, the results will typically be available within 5 working days.

The test is analysed by a state-of-the-art gas chromatography system, which measures hydrogen, methane, and carbon dioxide levels in line with recommendations by the UK and North American Consensus on Hydrogen and Methane-based Breath Testing.

A lactulose breath test is used to diagnose SIBO, or Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth. SIBO can cause symptoms like abdominal pain, bloating, and change your bowel habit, as it causes excessive fermentation by bacteria in your small intestine. This test can also see if you have excess methane in your gut, which can cause similar symptoms.  
We recommend a lactulose test to check for SIBO in most people. Lactulose is a non-digestible sugar so it passes through your whole gut. This means it can give us information about the bacteria in your large intestine as well as your small intestine.  

Similar to a lactulose breath test, Glucose can also detect SIBO. This test can also see if you have excess methane in your gut, which can cause similar symptoms to SIBO.  However, glucose sugar is fully absorbed within the small bowel, so it can’t tell us about bacteria in your large bowel.  Glucose is recommended for patients with altered gut anatomy – for example people who have had weight loss surgery, or have had part of their small bowel surgically removed, as it reduces the risk of false positive results that could result from these surgeries, when using a lactulose HMBT. 

A lactose breath test is useful to diagnose lactose malabsorption or intolerance, which can cause abdominal symptoms in response to eating dairy products. Before doing a lactose test, we recommend you first take a Lactulose or Glucose SIBO test. The presence of SIBO can cause a false positive result for lactose malabsorption, so it’s important to rule this out with a SIBO test first. 

A fructose breath test is useful to diagnose fructose malabsorption or intolerance, which can cause abdominal symptoms in response to eating certain fruits. Before doing a fructose test, we recommend you first take a Lactulose or Glucose SIBO test. The presence of SIBO can cause a false positive result for fructose malabsorption, so it’s important to rule this out with a SIBO test first.

Currently breath testing kits for SIBO and food intolerances are only available to people in the UK, and can be purchased for £250.

To get your test, choose your test and complete the form. Please note, no payment is taken at this stage.

If you have questions that aren’t answered here, then please contact us: support.omed@owlstone.zendesk.com