Deuterium can be used to improve nutritional assessments, help determine whether weight gains or losses are in fat or muscle, assess the effectiveness of breastfeeding promotion campaigns, and assess the risk of excess vitamin A in some populations. Health professionals can adapt their nutrition interventions and programs or develop more effective ones.
The “deuterium dilution” technique makes it possible to assess body composition, ie the proportion of fat in a person’s weight. The water present in our body contains a natural amount of deuterium. After drinking a small amount of deuterium oxide, or deuterium-labeled water, one can determine the concentration of deuterium in saliva or urine and the proportion of fatty tissue in the body. To learn more regarding this technique, click here.
Deuterium is also used to determine the amount of breast milk consumed by infants and whether they are exclusively breastfed. To learn more regarding the technique of the dose of deuterated water administered to the mother, click here.
In addition, it is possible to label vitamin A with deuterium to establish an accurate vitamin A status.
