“…Yet, if is true then, in general, all absorbed dietary protein is only utilized for EE ; and thus, over time, total body protein persistently decreases because the EE -independent protein loss is not being compensated by dietary intake. EE -independent protein loss occurs in feces (e.g., excretion of mucin, an indigestible protein secreted by the intestinal mucosa [ 27 ]), in sweat (e.g., amino acids may be excreted during physical exertion [ 28 ]), in urine (e.g., urinary excretion of glycine in creatinine [ 29 ] and C-peptide [ 30 ], a 31 amino acid polypeptide generated from insulin secretion) and during renewal of skin, hair and nails (e.g., shedding of dead cells filled with keratin [ 31 , 32 , 33 ]). As a consequence, we run into a contradiction since body weight is simultaneously stable (true absorbed-oxidation identities imply mass balance) and decreasing (body protein is continuously diminishing).…”