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

Table 4

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

BMI (kg/m^2)	(%)	Mean of ALM index ± SD	Cut-off point (kg/m^2)	P value
18.50 (M1)	3 (0.6)	7.63 ± 0.20	7.23	M2 versus M3^* and M4^*; M3 versus M4 ns
18.50–24.99 (M2)	319 (68.6)	8.43 ± 0.57	7.29
25.00–29.99 (M3)	130 (28.0)	9.08 ± 0.54	8.00
30.00 (M4)	13 (2.8)	9.62 ± 0.65	8.32

Group M1 was excluded from the statistical analysis due to its small size; BMI: body mass index; ALM: appendicular lean mass; SD: standard deviation; ns: not significant (P 0.05); ^*P 0.001; M1: males with BMI below 18.50 kg/m²; M2: males with recommended BMI: 18.50–24.99 kg/m²; M3: males with BMI from 25.00 to 29.99 kg/m²; M4: males with BMI 30.00 kg/m².