Gender variations of body composition, muscle strength and power output in morbid obesity

BACKGROUND: Motor capabilities are reduced in obese (OB) individuals, and this impairment may result also from quantitative variation of muscle mass due to alterations in body composition. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the differences in body mass (BM) and composition, as well as in muscle strength (ST) and power output (Ẇ) between OB and NW males and females, and to test the hypothesis that variations in body composition affect muscle performance in OB subjects. DESIGN AND METHODS: Body composition (determined by BIA with a two-compartment model), upper and lower limb maximum ST (evaluated with isotonic machines) and lower limb maximum anaerobic Ẇ (measured with a jumping test) were studied in a group of 95 extremely OB subjects (OB: 28 males, 67 females; mean age±s.d.: 29.3±7.0 y; BMI: 41.2±4.4 kg/m 2 ) and in a control group of 18 NW voluntary subjects (NW: eight males, 10 females; age: 30.3±5.3 y; BMI: 22.6±2.1 kg/m 2 ). RESULTS: OB male and female subjects differed significantly with increases in BM being attained by a similar contribution of fat mass (FM) and fat-free mass (FFM) in male subjects, but mainly contributed by FM in female subjects. Compared with NW, both OB men and women had a greater amount of FFM ( P