The Reference Values of Body Composition for Adult Females Who are Classified as Normal Weight, Overweight or Obese Accoding to Body Mass Index

Objective: The aim of this study was to conduct the reference values for body composition measured with Bioelectrical Impedance Analyser (BIA) of adult females without any endocrinologic and/or metabolic disturbances, according to their body mass index (BMI) and grouped as normal, overweight, obese and morbidly obese. Patients and Methods: A total of 327 female subjects were taken into the study. Their body compositions were measured with BIA, in addition to measurement of their weight, height, and waist and hip circumferences. Results were statistically analysed with ANOVA test. Results: As BMI got higher, percentages of body fat and basal metabolism (BM) increased significantly; but percentages of body water and fat free mass, and lean/fat ratio showed a significant decrease. In addition, waist and hip ratios, percentage of body fat and BM showed a significant positive corelation with BMI. Conclusion: We concluded that our results could be used as reference values for studies on body composition, especially to predict the degree of body fatness of obese patients and also nutritional status of patients who need nutritional supports.