Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Original Article
  • Published:

Body composition, energy expenditure and physical activity

Comparison of fat-free mass index and fat mass index in Chinese adults

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 66, pages 1004–1007 (2012)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/Objectives:

To compare the characteristics of body composition for different gender and age in a large number of apparently healthy Chinese subjects, and to determine reference values for fat-free mass index (FFMI) and fat mass index (FMI).

Subjects/Methods:

In total, 61 382 Chinese adults (age range: 18–92 years) were consecutively enrolled into the study. Body composition was measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis with a tetrapolar impedance meter.

Results:

The skeletal muscle mass, fat-free mass (FFM), FFMI and body mass index (BMI) were significantly higher in men than in women (P<0.05), but FM% and FMI were significantly higher in women (P<0.05). In the group with normal BMI (BMI 18.5–23.9 kg/m2, 18–92 years), the reference values (5th–95th percentile) of FM%, FFMI and FMI were 9.7–34.5%, 14.15–19.76 and 1.99–7.75 kg/m2 in men, and 18.1–35.8%, 13.82–17.89 and 3.68–8.16 kg/m2 in women, respectively.

Conclusions:

Reference intervals for FFMI and FMI could be of practical value for the clinical evaluation of a deficit in FFM with or without excess FM for a given age category, complementing the classical concept of BMI in a more qualitative manner, although these indices are only suggestive indications for the degree of obesity. In contrast to BMI, similar reference ranges of FFMI seem to be more utilizable with advancing age.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Deurenberg P . Universal cut-off BMI points for obesity are not appropriate. Br J Nutr 2001; 85: 135–136.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Kyle UG, Genton LC, Slosman DO, Pichard C . Fat-free and fat mass percentiles in 5225 healthy subjects aged 15 to 98 years. Nutrition 2001; 17: 534–541.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Lee CD, Blair SN, Jackson AS . Cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition, and all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality in men. Am J Clin Nutr 1999; 69: 373–380.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Engelen MPKJ, Schols AMWJ, Lamers RJS, Wouters EFM . Different patterns of chronic tissue wasting among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Clin Nutr 1999; 18: 275–280.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Heber D, Ingles S, Ashley JM, Maxwell MH, Lyons RF, Elashoff RM . Clinical detection of sarcopenic obesity by bioelectrical impedance analysis. Am J Clin Nutr 1996; 64: 472S–477S.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Baumgartner RN, Koehler KM, Gallagher D, Romero L, Heymsfield SB, Ross RR et al. Epidemiology of sarcopenia among the elderly in New Mexico. Am J Epidemiol 1998; 147: 755–763.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Van Itallie TB, Yang M-U, Heymsfield SB, Funk RC, Boileau R . Height-normalized indices of the body's fat-free mass and fat mass: potentially useful indicators of nutritional status. Am J Clin Nutr 1990; 52: 953–959.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Dey DK, Bosaeus I, Lissner L, Steen B . Body composition estimated by bioelectrical impedance in the Swedish elderly. Development of population based prediction equation and reference values of fat-free mass and body fat for 70- and 75-y olds. Eur J Clin Nutr 2003; 57: 909–916.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Kyle UG, Bosaeus I, De Lorenzo AD, Deurenberg P, Elia M, Gomez JM et al. Bioelectrical impedance analysis–part I: review of principles and methods. Clin Nutr 2004; 23: 1226–1243.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Kyle UG, Bosaeus I, De Lorenzo AD, Deurenberg P, Elia M, Gomez JM et al. Bioelectrical impedance analysis-part II: utilization in clinical practice. Clin Nutr 2004; 23: 1430–1433.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Deurenberg P, Schutz Y . Body composition: overview of methods and future directions of research. Ann Nutr Metab 1995; 39: 325–333.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Deurenberg P, Weststrate JA, van der Kooy K . Body composition changes assessed by bioelectrical impedance measurements. Am J Clin Nutr 1989; 49: 401.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Gray DS . Changes in bioelectrical impedance during fasting. Am J Clin Nutr 1988; 48: 1184–1187.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Kushner RF, Schoeller DA . Estimation of total body water by biolectrical impedance analysis. Am J Clin Nutr 1986; 44: 417–424.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Lukaski HC . Assessment of fat-free mass using bioelectrical impedance measurements of the human body. Am J Clin Nutr 1985; 41: 810–817.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Jackson AS, Pollock ML, Graces JE, Mahar MT . Reliability and validity of bioelectrical impedance in determining body composition. J Appl Physiol 1988; 64: 529–534.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Kyle UG, Genton L, Karsegard L, Slosman DO, Pichard C . Single prediction equation for bioelectrical impedance analysis in adults aged 20–94 y. Nutrition 2001; 17: 248–253.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Baumgartner RN . Body composition in healthy aging. Ann NY Acad Sci 2000; 904: 437–448.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Bartlett HL, Puhl SM, Hodgson JL, Buskirk ER . Fat-free mass in relation to stature: ratios of fat-free mass to height in children, adults, and elderly subjects. Am J Clin Nutr 1991; 53: 1112–1116.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Baarends EM, Schols AMWS, van Marten Lichtenbelt WD, Wouters EFM . Analysis of body water compartments in relation to tissue depletion in clinically stable patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Am J Clin Nutr 1997; 65: 88–94.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Deurenberg-Yap M, Schmidt G, van Staveren WA, Deurenberg P . The paradox of low body mass index and high body fat percentage among Chinese, Malays and Indians in Singapore. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2000; 24: 1011–1017.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Schutz Y, Kyle U, Pichard C . Fat-free mass index and fat mass index percentiles in Caucasians aged 18–98 y. Int J Obes 2002; 26: 953–960.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Pichard C, Kyle UG, Bracco D, Slosman DO, Morabia A, Schutz Y . Reference values of fat-free and fat masses by bioelectrical impedance analysis in 3393 healthy subjects. Nutrition 2000; 16: 245–254.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Y Lu and H Shu: These authors contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geriatric Endocrinology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China

    Y Lu, H Shu, C Li & M Liu

  2. Health Examination Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China

    Y Zheng, Z Chen & X He

Authors
  1. Y Lu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. H Shu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Y Zheng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. C Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. M Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Z Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. X He
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Y Zheng or C Li.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Lu, Y., Shu, H., Zheng, Y. et al. Comparison of fat-free mass index and fat mass index in Chinese adults. Eur J Clin Nutr 66, 1004–1007 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2012.86

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2012.86

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links