Objective: The aim of the present study was to associate phase angle (PhA) with sarcopenia and its components in physically active older women.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed with 94 physically active older women. PhA and muscle mass were assessed by bioelectrical impedance. Muscle strength was measured by handgrip strength (HGS) and functional capacity was evaluated by 4-meter walk test. Sarcopenia was diagnosed according to the European Consensus on Definition and Diagnosis of Sarcopenia (2010). Participants were evaluated according to the PhA tercile. The individuals were divided into two groups: 1st vs. 2nd and 3rd terciles. The individuals in the first tercile were considered having low PhA (< 5.7º).
Results: Low PhA was not associated with sarcopenia (OR = 1.50 (0.520-4.319)), low muscle mass index (OR = 1.50 (0.520-4.319)), low HGS (OR = 3.15 (0.954-10.401)) and low walk speed (OR = 1.46 (0.384-5.534)). In addition, PhA had a weak correlation with walk speed (r = 0.24, p = 0.023) and walk speed was able to predict the PhA variations by 3.9%.
Conclusion: PhA was not associated with sarcopenia and its components in physically active older women. Although PhA was correlated with walk speed, the biological meaning of this association is questionable, since the power of the prediction was low.
Keywords: Aging; Bioimpedance; Muscle function; Muscle mass.