Obesity paradox in cancer: new insights provided by body composition

Background: Obesity, defined by body mass index (BMI), appears to have a paradoxical protective effect in several chronic diseases.Objective: We investigated the obesity paradox in cancer patients by using body composition.Design: The study was an observational study of 175 cancer patients assessed before chemotherapy. Obesity was defined as BMI (in kg/m2) ≥30 or fat mass index (FMI; fat mass divided by the square of height) ≥5.2 (men) and ≥8.2 (women) measured by using a bioelectrical impedance analysis. Low muscle mass (sarcopenia) was defined as fat-free mass index (fat-free mass divided by the square of height)