Sarcopenia: The need to establish different cutoff points of fat-free mass for the Chilean population.

Objectives: International cutoff points for the diagnosis of sarcopenia are not applicable to the Chilean population due to previous evidence of a lower lean mass and strength in this population. Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry is used to establish fat-free mass cutoff points to define sarcopenia in the Chilean population and analyze its association with handgrip strength in older adults.

Methods: Appendicular fat-free mass (AFFM) was calculated from 4062 dual-energy x-ray absorptiometries of healthy Chileans, ages 18 to 99 y.