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Urinary Markers in Nutritional Studies

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General Methods in Biomarker Research and their Applications

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Abstract

To date, the assessment of dietary intake is primarily based on self-reported data. However, it is widely acknowledged that all self-reported methods are subject to various errors. It is thus essential to minimize these errors to reduce the distortions where studies have investigated the relationships between diet and disease. Biomarkers can resolve this especially those relating to body fluids, such as saliva, blood, and urine. However, currently there are only a few biomarkers which reflect the dietary intake of specific component and/or habitual intake. This review illustrates recent development in the discovery and application of potential urinary biomarkers. Urine is selected as it is collected with ease and can be equated in terms of daily out or with reference to lean tissue via determination of urinary creatinine. The use of urinary markers include, for example, methylmalonic acid for vitamin B12 intake, menadione for vitamin K intake, hippuric acid for fruit and vegetable intake, and 1-methylhistidine for oily fish intake.

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Abbreviations

CHD:

Coronary Heart Disease

CoA:

Coenzyme A

DHA:

Docosahexaenoic Acid

EPA:

Eicosapentaenoic Acid

EPIC:

European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition

FFQ:

Food Frequency Questionnaire

FIE-MS:

Electrospray Mass Spectrometry

GC-tof-MS:

Gas Chromatography-Coupled Time-of-Fight Mass Spectrometry

HDL:

High-Density Lipoprotein

LDL:

Low-Density Lipoprotein

MMA:

Methylmalonic Acid

n-3 PUFA:

Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids

RNI:

Reference Nutrient Intake

uMMA:

Urinary Methylmalonic Acid

WHO:

World Health Organization

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust, St George’s Hospital, Blackshaw Road, London, SW17 0QT, UK

    Mina Yamazaki Price

  2. Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Division of Diabetes and Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, 4.101 Franklin-Wilkins Building 150 Stamford Street, London, SE1 9NH, UK

    Victor R. Preedy

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  1. Mina Yamazaki Price
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Correspondence to Mina Yamazaki Price .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Division of Diabetes & Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King's College London, London, United Kingdom

    Victor R. Preedy

  2. Faculty of Science & Technology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Westminster, London, United Kingdom

    Vinood B. Patel

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Price, M.Y., Preedy, V.R. (2015). Urinary Markers in Nutritional Studies. In: Preedy, V., Patel, V. (eds) General Methods in Biomarker Research and their Applications. Biomarkers in Disease: Methods, Discoveries and Applications. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7696-8_29

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