Correlations of beta-aminoisobutyric acid in 8 hour and 24 hour urinary samples determined by dual column gas chromatography.

The correlations of beta-aminoisobutyric acid values in 8 hour and 24 hour urinary samples from 23 healthy persons were determined. beta-AIB in the 8 hour urinary samples was measured by gas chromatography and the 24 hour excretion was calculated from the results of three 8 hour determinations. Simultaneous determinations of urinary creatinine were performed by Jaffe's reaction. Based on the 8 hour values of urinary beta-AIB the results demonstrated a constant excretion of beta-aminoisobutyric acid within the 24 hour periods in both low and high excretors. The precision in distinguishing low and high 24 hour excretors of beta-AIB by using 8 hour values was 91%. If 8 hour values of beta-AIB were related to creatinine the same precision for this calculated ratio was 96.5%. However, for high excretors of beta-AIB, failures were 24.5% by using the 8 hour excretion of beta-AIB as indicator, but only 6.5% by using the ratio.