Measurement of 13 C-labeled fatty acid oxidation is hindered by the need for acetate correction, measurement of the rate of CO 2 production in a controlled environment, and frequent collection of breath samples. The use of deuterium-labeled fatty acids may overcome these limitations. Herein, d 31 -palmitate was validated against [1-13 C]palmitate during exercise. Thirteen subjects with body mass index of 22.9 ؎ 3 kg/m 2 and body fat of 19.6 ؎ 11% were subjected to 2 or 4 h of exercise at 25% maximum volume oxygen consumption (VO 2max Stable isotopes have been used to quantify plasma and dietary fat oxidation in the past (1-3). When a 13 C-labeled fatty acid is dosed orally or by constant infusion, the 13 CO 2 in breath can be used to measure the tracer oxidized. The 13 C liberated during oxidative metabolism, however, is partly sequestered in the intermediates of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle ( ف 40%) and the bicarbonate pool (10%), causing fat oxidation to be underestimated. To correct for this sequestration, an additional dose of [1-13 C]acetate is administered. Acetate is converted to acetyl-CoA and is oxidized in the TCA cycle (4). Unfortunately, sequestration is variable and depends on the conditions under which it is measured; hence, estimation of acetate sequestration is essential (5). In addition, the use of 13 C-labeled fatty acid is further constrained by the need for frequent sampling of breath and the use of a metabolic cart or respiratory chamber to quantify the flux of CO 2 to calculate 13 C recovery accurately. These factors increase subject burden; thus, an alternative method to quantify fat oxidation in the body would be useful.One such method for the measurement of fat oxidation is the use of deuterium-labeled fatty acids (3, 6). When oxidized, 2 H-labeled fatty acid is metabolized to acetyl-CoA, releasing NADH molecules. The 2 H label is released as water, in part, when NADH molecules are oxidized in the respiratory chain. Oxidation of acetyl-CoA in the TCA cycle releases the rest of the deuterium label in the form of 2 Hlabeled water. This 2 H 2 O mixes with the body water and can be sampled in the urine (7). Urinary and insensible water losses are minimal (8); hence, the enrichment of label in urine can be used effectively to calculate the cumulative recovery of the label and hence the fat oxidized. Consequently, the need for measurement of CO 2 and flux is also eliminated.Deuterium-labeled palmitic acid has been validated against acetate-corrected 13 C-labeled palmitic acid during rest in humans by Votruba, Zeddun, and Schoeller (6), who dosed subjects at rest with 13 C-and d 31 -labeled palmitic acid and demonstrated that the cumulative recoveries for