Fat-free mass as a function of height and fat mass in healthy adults

Burton, R. F. (2012) Fat-free mass as a function of height and fat mass in healthy adults. International Journal of Body Composition Research, 10(2), pp. 35-38.

Abstract

Background: Fat-free mass (FFM) tends to vary in response to varying fat mass (FM) in healthy adults, more so in men than in women. It may be conceptualized as consisting of two components, one that increases linearly with FM and another, independent of FM and denoted FFM_H, that tends to vary with height. Objectives: These are to demonstrate the usefulness of a previously unused regression method that quantifies these two effects simultaneously and to test whether FFM correlates better with height when adjusted for variations in FM. Methods: The dependence of FFM on FM and height was quantified by non-linear regression using two published data sets obtained in studies of metabolic rates. The influence of age was also investigated. Results: For both men and women the mean ratio ΔFFM/ΔFM agreed closely with previous estimates. Compared with total FFM, the estimates of FFM_H correlated more closely with height and, for men, also with age. Conclusions: The method has the advantage of providing the relevant regression parameters in one step. The concept of a height-dependent, but FM-independent component of FFM, namely FFM_H, can be useful when the influences of other factors on FFM are to be studied.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Burton, Dr Richard
• Authors: Burton, R. F.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Life Sciences
• Journal Name: International Journal of Body Composition Research
• Publisher: Smith-Gordon and Co. Ltd.
• ISSN: 1479-456X