Proposal of a normative table for body fat percentages of Brazilian young adults through bioimpedanciometry

Abstract

Identification of the body fat (BF) percentage allows health professionals to detect healthy or risky patterns in a population. However, no studies have elaborated BF cutoff points using the bioelectrical impedance method in young Brazilian adults. Thus, the objective of the present study was to elaborate normative tables for BF in Brazilian men and women (sedentary and physically active) between 18 and 39 years of age. A total of 3,111 adults (958 men and 2,153 women) were evaluated using bioimpedance measurements with the InBody 520 device. The data were distributed normally and divided into percentiles (P3, P10, P25, P50, P75, P90, and P97). The following values were observed: for men: P3 =8.9%-12.5%; P10 =12.6%-17.5%; P25 =17.6%-25.3%; P50 =25.4%- 35.1%; P75= 35.2%-43.0%; P90= 43.1%-49.4% and P97= 49.5%; for women: P3= 18.7%-23.1%; P10= 23.2%-28.7%; P25= 28.8%-35.7%; P50= 35.8%- 42.9%; P75= 43.0%-49.1%; P90= 49.2%-52.1% and P97≥52.2%. These percentiles can be used to classify the adiposity of sedentary and physically active individuals evaluated by bioimpedanciometry.