BIA-assessed cellular hydration and strength in healthy older adults

The objective of this research was to evaluate the differential relationships between various BIA-estimated compartments of body water and strength, among healthy older adults, by age range and sex.

Descriptive and correlational study.

A total of 234 healthy older adults (72.59 ± 7.60 years) participated in the study. Participants were recruited from community centers around Portugal and Spain. Data were recorded during May 2023. This is a physically active sample: all the participants are physically active for a minimum of three days a week.

For the study of body composition the variables extracted from the Tanita were: fat mass (FM), fat free mass (FFM), visceral fat rating (VFR), total body water (TBW), extracellular water (ECW) and intracellular water (ICW). Handgrip Strength was used to evaluate upper body strength and the Chair Stand Test for lower body strength.

Differences across the various data sets were recorded in the gender variable. When looking into the gender variable, significant correlations were recorded for the body composition variables analyzed for all age groups in the upper body strength test, except for BMI(r = .125-.878) and Fat mass (.056 to -.634). For the lower body strength test, no significant correlations were recorded for the Fat-Free mass variables (r = .164-.380), as well as for the Visceral Fat Rating(r = .082-.213) and the body water variables (TBW, ECW, ICW).

The hydration parameters analyzed can be related to muscle performance for Handgrip in an independent older adult population with ages ranging from 60 to 90 years.