Reference percentiles for bioimpedance body composition parameters of healthy individuals: A cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to estimate the percentage distribution of body composition parameters for healthy people at different ages from the assessment of electrical bioimpedance. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of healthy Brazilian aged 5 years and older. Were evaluated: total body fat; percent body fat; fat-free mass; percent lean mass; fat mass index; and fat-free mass index. RESULTS: Of 1240 participants, with a median age of 27.0 years, 52.5% were female, and 73.7% were Caucasian. Most of the body composition variables were associated with age. The fat-free mass increased from youth to adult and decreased in the elderly in both sexes, with higher values in males than in females. In males, the percentage of lean mass has higher values in adolescence compared to childhood, and in adults compared to the elderly, when analyzed from the 50(th) percentile. In women, fat-free mass compared to adulthood, values were higher in childhood and lower in older ages. CONCLUSIONS: The study is the first to describe the Brazilian reference values for most clinical parameters of bioimpedance in percentiles stratified by different life cycles and sex. These findings can be very useful in clinical practice for health promotion and monitoring the nutritional status of the individual.