Height-normalized indices of the body’s fat-free mass and fat mass: potentially useful indicators of nutritional status
Abstract
Expressing fat-free mass (FFM) and body fat mass (BFM) as percentages of body weight or by weight is unsatisfactory. For example, tall patients with protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) can exhibit values for FFM and BFM similar to those of shorter well-nourished individuals. To obviate such difficulties, we propose use of height-normalized indices, namely, a FFM index [FFM (kg)/height (m)2, or FFMI] and a BFM index [BFM (kg)/height (m)2, or BFMI]. We calculated these indices in a reference population of 124 healthy young men and in 32 nonobese young men (from the Minnesota Study) before, during, and after experimental semistarvation. When values for FFMI and BFMI falling below the reference cohort's 5th percentile cutoff point were used as a criterion for PEM, these indices, together with basal oxygen-consumption rate, diagnosed PEM in 27 of the 32 Minnesota Study subjects after 12 wk of semi-starvation. These findings indicate that FFMI and BFMI may be useful in nutritional assessment.
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Other studies have reported body composition changes over time but are limited in length of follow-up or number of subjects.
“Although other studies 15 -17 have reported body composition changes over time, these studies are limited in length of follow-up or number of subjects.”
From Overweight and obesity in a Swiss city: 10-year trends (2007) · cites this paper as [17]
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- Authors
- VanItallie, T., Yang, M., Heymsfield, S., Funk, R., & Boileau, R.
- Affiliations
- St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center (US)
- ORCID
- Yang, MU
- Venue
- The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 1990-12
- Volume
- 52
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 953-959
- ISSN
- 0002-9165 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2128862218
- Cited by
- 922
- References
- 14
- Citations by year
- 2026: 36 · 2025: 43 · 2024: 47 · 2023: 49 · 2022: 63 · 2021: 71 · 2020: 51 · 2019: 46 · 2018: 49 · 2017: 33 · 2016: 32 · 2015: 42 · 2014: 27 · 2013: 38 · 2012: 45
- FWCI
- 0.81
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Body Composition Measurement Techniques
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Nutrition and Health in Aging
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Clinical Nutrition and Gastroenterology
- Keywords
- fat-free mass index, body fat mass index, protein-energy malnutrition, nutritional assessment, semistarvation, basal oxygen consumption, reference population, young men
- MeSH terms
- Adipose Tissue, Adult, Age Factors, Basal Metabolism, Body Composition, Body Height, Body Weight, Energy Intake, Electric Conductivity, Food Deprivation, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Nutritional Status, Oxygen Consumption, Cohort Studies, Nutrition Assessment, Body Mass Index
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