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Skeletal Muscle Mass Measured Noninvasively by D3-Creatine Dilution in Children and Term Infants
Mahalakshmi Shankaran1, Brian Scottoline2, Faryal Imam2
1Department of Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology, University of California, Berkeley, CA.
Objective:
To measure the longitudinal changes in body composition including muscle mass (MM), total body water (TBW), and body fat in term infants and children using the D3Creatine (D3Cr) dilution method combined with 2H2O.
Study Design:
A total of 36 term infants were enrolled and measured at baseline and after 6 and 12 months. In addition, 30 boys (ages 4-12 years) and 31 girls (ages 4-10 years) were enrolled. A single dose of D3Cr in 20% 2H2O was administered orally using a syringe. Saliva and urine samples were used to determine 2H2O and D3Cr D3creatinine enrichments for determination of TBW (fat-free mass [FFM]) and MM, respectively.
Results:
Body weight (BW), MM, and FFM were associated with age and increased longitudinally over 1 year in 21 boys and girls. In infants, MM increased by 256% after 1 year while %MM (MM/BW) remained constant at 26% after 6 months and increased to 36% after 1 year. Positive relationships were found between MM, TBW, BW, and anthropometric values.
Conclusions:
D3Cr dilution provides a noninvasive measurement of MM in infants and children and when coupled with the measurement of TBW, a full body composition assessment is possible including MM, FFM, and body fat.
