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Eight-Year Longitudinal Changes in Body Composition in Healthy Swiss Adults

Clinical Nutrition (U.G.K., K.M., C.P.)
Clinical Nutrition, Internal Medicine (M.P.-K.)
Geneva University Hospital, Institute of Movement Science and Sports Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva (B.K.)
Geneva, Orthopedics, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne (G.G.), SWITZERLAND

Address correspondence to: Claude Pichard, MD, PhD, Head, Clinical Nutrition, Geneva University Hospital, 1211 Geneva, SWITZERLAND. E-mail: claude.pichard{at}medecine.unige.ch

Objective: Significant changes in body composition occur during lifetime. This longitudinal study (8.0 ± 0.8 yrs) in a cohort of healthy sedentary and physically active men (n = 78) and women (n = 53), aged 20 to 74 yr describes: 1) the longitudinal changes in weight and body composition and 2) their associations with age and physical activity.

Method: Fat-free mass (FFM) and body fat (BF) were assessed by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Subjects who regularly performed >3 hours per week of endurance type physical activity were classified as "Active". Others were classified as "Sedentary". Subjects were also separated by age (<45 yr vs 45 yr).

Results: FFM increased by 1.7 ± 2.8 kg in men <45 yr who gained 4.0 ± 5.0 kg of body weight and was maintained (0.5 ± 1.6 kg) in women <45 y who gained 1.6 ± 3.0 kg of weight. A weight gain of 1.2 ± 3.3 kg in men 45 yr was accompanied by stable FFM (–0.1 ± 2.3 kg), and of 1.0 ± 3.2 kg was accompanied by a loss of FFM in women 45 yr. In active men 45 yr, maintenance of FFM was associated with smaller weight gains than in sedentary; sedentary men 45 yr decreased FFM with larger weight gains than active subjects. Sedentary women <45 yr were able to gain FFM; the active women maintained, but did not gain FFM with smaller weight gains than in sedentary women. FFM decreased in 45 yr women despite of small weight gains.

Conclusion: Weight change is clearly associated with a change in FFM. Weight gain is necessary to offset age-related FFM loss between 20 and 74 yrs. In active men, a FFM increase was associated with less weight gain than sedentary men. Future studies should evaluate the threshold of weight change and the level of physical activity necessary to prevent age-related losses of FFM.

Key words: bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), fat-free mass, body fat, BIA-measured FFM, body composition, longitudinal

Abbreviations: BF = body fat • BMI = body mass index • FFM = fat-free mass

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