Relationships between upper-arm anthropometry and soft-tissue composition in postmenopausal women

Area of Science:

• Human Physiology
• Body Composition Analysis
• Anthropometry

Background:

• Accurate assessment of body composition, specifically lean and fat mass, is crucial for understanding health in postmenopausal women.
• Upper-arm anthropometry is a commonly used, non-invasive method for estimating body composition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of upper-arm anthropometric measures in assessing lean and fat tissue masses in normal postmenopausal white women.
• To compare the correlations of mid-arm circumference (MAC), triceps skinfold thickness, and arm muscle area (AMA) with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) derived body composition.

Main Methods:

• 140 normal postmenopausal white women participated in the study.
• Upper-arm anthropometric measurements (MAC, triceps skinfold) were taken.
• Total and regional lean and fat masses were measured using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA).
• Statistical analyses, including correlation and multiple-regression, were performed to assess relationships.

Main Results:

• Mid-arm circumference (MAC) showed high correlations with total and regional fat masses (r = 0.85-0.89).
• Triceps skinfold thickness was also strongly correlated with fat masses (r = 0.70-0.74).
• Arm muscle area (AMA) and MAC demonstrated moderate correlations with lean tissue mass (r = 0.37-0.43 and r = 0.26-0.34, respectively).
• All anthropometric indices were more strongly correlated with fat mass than with lean mass.

Conclusions:

• Upper-arm anthropometric indices, including MAC, triceps skinfold, and AMA, are effective measures for assessing fat mass in postmenopausal women.
• None of the studied anthropometric indices, including AMA, can be considered a specific measure of lean tissue mass in this population.