Optimal body composition indices cutoff values based on all-cause mortality in the elderly

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Biostatistics

Background:

• Optimal body composition indices cutoffs are unclear for elderly populations.
• Accurate indices are crucial for assessing health risks in aging individuals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish optimal gender-specific cutoffs for body composition indices.
• To associate these cutoffs with all-cause mortality risk in older adults.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a cohort of 428 older Taiwanese adults (2009-2010).
• Measured waist circumference (WC), body mass index (BMI), percent body fat (PBF), and skeletal muscle mass index (SMMI).
• Employed Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and Cox regression for optimal cutoff identification and mortality association.

Main Results:

• Identified optimal cutoffs: WC (86.7 cm) for women; BMI (23.8 kg/m²), WC (77.6 cm), and SMMI (8.7 kg/m²) for men.
• All-cause mortality rate was 20.09% over 5.86 years.
• Gender-specific cutoffs demonstrated significant associations with all-cause mortality.

Conclusions:

• Established novel, gender-specific optimal cutoffs for body composition indices in older adults.
• These cutoffs can serve as valuable tools for predicting all-cause mortality risk.
• Highlights the importance of gender-specific health assessments in gerontology.