The Significance of Body Mass Index in Calculating the Cut-Off Points for Low Muscle Mass in the Elderly: Methodological Issues

Table 2

Mean of ALM index for females from groups with different BMI.

BMI (kg/m^2)	(%)	Mean of ALM index (kg/m^2) ± SD	Cut-off point (kg/m^2)	P value
18.50 (F1)	70 (10.8)	5.91 ± 0.38	5.15	F1 versus F2^*, F3^*, and F4^*; F2 versus F3^* and F4^*; F3 versus F4—ns
18.50–24.99 (F2)	501 (77.3)	6.52 ± 0.50	5.52
25.00–29.99 (F3)	63 (9.7)	7.17 ± 0.39	6.39
30.00 (F4)	14 (2.2)	7.91 ± 0.57	6.77

BMI: body mass index; ALM: appendicular lean mass; SD: standard deviation; ns: not significant (P 0.05); ^*P 0.001; F1: females with BMI below 18.50 kg/m²; F2: females with recommended BMI: 18.50–24.99 kg/m²; F3: females with BMI from 25.00 to 29.99 kg/m²; F4: females with BMI 30.00 kg/m².