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The validity of ultrasound technology in providing an indirect estimate of muscle glycogen concentrations is equivocal
Bone, Julia L. Ross, Megan L. Tomcik, Kristyen A. Jeacocke, Nikki A. McKay, Alannah K. A. Burke, Louise M.
Bone, Julia L.
Ross, Megan L.
Tomcik, Kristyen A.
Jeacocke, Nikki A.
McKay, Alannah K. A.
Burke, Louise M.
Abstract
Researchers and practitioners in sports nutrition would greatly benefit from a rapid, portable, and non-invasive technique to measure muscle glycogen, both in the laboratory and field. This explains the interest in MuscleSound®, the first commercial system to use high-frequency ultrasound technology and image analysis from patented cloud-based software to estimate muscle glycogen content from the echogenicity of the ultrasound image. This technique is based largely on muscle water content, which is presumed to act as a proxy for glycogen. Despite the promise of early validation studies, newer studies from independent groups reported discrepant results, with MuscleSound® scores failing to correlate with the glycogen content of biopsy-derived mixed muscle samples or to show the expected changes in muscle glycogen associated with various diet and exercise strategies. The explanation of issues related to the site of assessment do not account for these discrepancies, and there are substantial problems with the premise that the ratio of glycogen to water in the muscle is constant. Although further studies investigating this technique are warranted, current evidence that MuscleSound® technology can provide valid and actionable information around muscle glycogen stores is at best equivocal.
Keywords
carbohydrate loading, creatine loading, vastus lateralis, glycogen depletion
Date
2021
Type
Journal article
Journal
Nutrients
Book
Volume
13
Issue
7
Page Range
1-20
Article Number
Article 2371
ACU Department
Centre for Exercise and Nutrition
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
Collections
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
Published as ‘gold’ (paid) open access
License
CC BY 4.0
File Access
Open