Lean body mass: reference values for Italian population between 18 to 88 years old.

OBJECTIVE: Body's lean mass compartment is a strong predictor of morbidity and mortality risk in various clinical conditions. This paper proposes a simple and easily applied reference table for lean body mass (LBM) and lean body mass index (LBMI) for the Italian population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective analysis of a database containing anthropometric and DXA body composition measurements obtained from a cross-sectional study conducted between 2002 and 2009 with Italian individuals. Parametric and nonparametric tests were performed using R 3.1.1 and SPSS 22.0 software packages. RESULTS: The 3712 study participants, 37.3% men and 62.7% women, aging from 18 to 88 years. Individuals with normal weight, overweight and obesity were evenly distributed in the sample. LBM and LBMI measures were significantly higher in males. In both genders, there was a significant and progressive decline in these measures associated with aging. Significant differences in LBMI between genders were found in all age groups except for individuals over 75 years. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the participants LBM profile, a reference table for LBM values was proposed. This reference will be useful to detect changes in the LBM compartment of individuals from the South Central Region of Italy, supporting health professionals during the process of diagnosing sarcopenia.

[Juvenile obesity and fitness for military service]. / Juvenile Adipositas und Militärdiensttauglichkeit.

In a prospective-catamnestic study among 21,978 19-20-year-old Swiss males at the time of military recruitment, a total of 412 (2.6%) obese young men were registered during the years of 1979-1981 for medical follow-up. They were matched for comparison with a group of 318 normal weight controls and studied for discharge rate from military service as well as rate and type of medical problems. After median follow-up of 3 years (basic military training and at least 1 annual repetition course) the obese group showed a discharge rate of 9% (37/412), 3.6 times higher than the normal weight group (2.5%, 8/318; p less than 0.001). There was no correlation between the extent of overweight and discharge rate within the obese group of young males. However, considerable differences for discharge rates showed up between military incorporations/functions (with values for the normal weight group in parenthesis). "Low-risk" incorporation subgroups for obese servicemen were: kitchen/logistics 2.7% (11.5%) and drivers 5.2% (2.6%), possibly due to overlap of professional and military functions. "High-risk" incorporation subgroups for obese servicemen were: medical corps/air defense 14.8% (0%) and artillery/technical functions 14.1% (2.7%), with infantry 7.8% (2.7%) in an intermediate position. The result of the gymnastic training test at military recruitment correlated best with the discharge rate from military service. The distribution of medical reasons (diagnoses) did not differ basically between obese and normal weight young servicemen. Diseases of the spine/joints and feet with 46% (37.5%) ranked first, followed by psychological problems with 22% (37.5%) and cardiovascular and other diseases with 8% (0%). Illness was the cause of discharge from military service in 7% (29/412) of the obese group compared to 1.6% (5/318) in the normal weight group (p less than 0.001), while the respective values for accident-derived discharges (1.9% vs 0.9%) showed no statistically significant difference. Impairment of fitness for military service due to minor medical problems, as well as median days at military infirmary (1.4 vs 1.6 days) and dispensation from physical exercise (0.7% vs 0.7%), were not more frequent in the obese cohort. In nearly one third of medically discharged servicemen the relevant diagnosis was already present at military recruitment. The chances of military promotion for obese servicemen were comparable to those of their normal weight peers, at least during the time interval studied.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)