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Urinary 3‐Methylhistidine Excretion: Association With Total Body Skeletal Muscle Mass by Computerized Axial Tomography
Author(s) -
Deurenberg Paul,
Matthews Dwight E.,
Heymsfield Steven B.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
journal of parenteral and enteral nutrition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.935
H-Index - 98
eISSN - 1941-2444
pISSN - 0148-6071
DOI - 10.1177/014860719802200282
Subject(s) - excretion , urine , urinary system , medicine , endocrinology , zoology , biology
Background: The urinary excretion of endogenous 3‐methylhistidine (3‐MH) has been proposed as a predictor of skeletal muscle mass (SM). In this study, we report the relationship between 24‐hour urinary 3‐MH excretion and SM. Methods: Total body SM was measured by multiscan computerized axial tomography (CT) in a sample of 10 healthy adult men who followed a meat‐free diet for 7 days. 3‐MH was measured during the last 3 days of the meat‐free diet protocol on consecutive 24‐hour urine collections. Results: The 3‐MH excretion was 216.3 ± 44.7 μmol/d (mean ± SD) and was found well associated with SM (in kilograms), SM = 0.0887 × 3‐MH + 11.8; r =.88, p <.001. Compared with CT, the previous 3‐MH‐SM prediction equation suggested by Lukaski et al underestimated SM by an average of 8.9 kg in the 10 healthy men. This difference was caused by the Burkinshaw‐Cohn neutron activation model, which underestimated SM and was used as the reference in the Lukaski method. Conclusions: Twenty‐four‐hour urinary 3‐MH excretion can be applied for estimating SM in healthy adult men on a meat‐free diet. (Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition 22: 82–86, 1998)