Application of the D -creatine muscle mass assessment tool to a geriatric weight loss trial: A pilot study.

Background: Traditionally, weight loss (WL) trials utilize dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) to measure lean mass. This method assumes lean mass, as the sum of all non-bone and non-fat tissue, is a reasonable proxy for muscle mass. In contrast, the D -creatine (D Cr) dilution method directly measures whole body skeletal muscle mass, although this method has yet to be applied in the context of a geriatric WL trial.