A novel carbon isotope biomarker for dietary sugar.

Light element isotope signatures have been used to study food webs in many ecological niches, including those of ancient humans, but to a far lesser extent in modern humans. A recent paper presented results from a pilot study testing the utility of carbon isotope ratio analysis of alanine to measure an individual's sugar intake in the United States. A strong correlation was found between the enrichment of (13)C in alanine and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption. This candidate biomarker of sugar consumption deserves further consideration as an objective marker for use in the study of the relationship between sugar intake and health.