Background and aims: As population ageing, it is necessary to use inexpensive and widely available methods of monitoring healthy ageing to earlier detect the risk of potential ageing-related diseases. As an alternative to the reference methods, bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) enables one to quickly and easily estimate appendicular skeletal muscle mass, which in the case of older persons is an indicator of their physical fitness. The aim of this study was to evaluate the actual bio-impedance parameters used to estimate body composition, as possible markers of changes in the mass of the appendicular skeletal muscles in the course of ageing.
Methods: Four hundred and thirty-five persons (including 107 men and 328 women) aged 50-87 years (65.6 ± 6.4 years) participated in the study. Anthropometric measurements and measurements of the bioelectrical impedance components (resistance, reactance, and phase angle) were carried out. Using the prediction equations, appendicular muscle mass and appendicular skeletal muscle mass were estimated.
Results: Differences in the bio-impedance parameters between older persons aged 65 + and persons on average 10 years younger have been demonstrated and the impedance components have been shown to be correlated with age, the correlations being stronger in the persons after the 65th year of life.
Conclusions: The actual bioelectrical impedance parameters measured directly using the BIA method of estimating body composition are good identifiers of the changes in the mass of the appendicular skeletal muscles in older persons in the course of ageing.
Keywords: Appendicular skeletal muscle mass; Bioelectrical impedance analysis; Healthy ageing; Older adults.