Year: 2011
Type: article
Abstract: Age-related physiological variations of body composition concern both the fat-free mass (FFM) and the fat mass (FM). These variations expose the elderly person to the risk of malnutrition and could lead to conditions of disability. This paper aims to review the current state of knowledge on body composition in the aged population. The pattern of qualitative variations in body composition in old age is fairly well defined. In adulthood, the physiological variation of body mass involves a first increasing phase followed by a decreasing trend. The reduction is due mainly to the loss of fat-free mass, especially muscle mass. Total body water and bone mass also decrease. Fat mass tends to decrease and the reduction seems to be due mainly to the loss of subcutaneous fat. The quantitative aspects of the age of onset, rate and intensity of the physiological variations are still not completely clear. This poor quantitative definition is due to the variable and multifactorial phenomenology of ageing, the heterogeneity of assessment techniques and sampling models, and the limited number of empirical observations in oldest-old individuals.
Source: PubMed
Authors: Jasminka Resić, Vedrana Cikes-Culić, Tatijana Zemunik, Anita Markotić
Institution: University of Split
Language: English
Subfield: Physiology (medical)
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2114515773