Somatotype and body composition of healthy adult men and women and their contribution to civilization diseases risk.

Men were more likely to be mesomorphic while women were more likely to have an endomorphic somatotype.

• The study included 179 men (aged 18-73 years, mean = 40.3 years) and 165 women (aged 18-75 years, mean = 41.4 years).
• Somatotyping was performed using the Sheldon method based on anthropological measurements.
• Total sample size was 344 subjects aged 18-75 years (mean = 40.8 years).
• This was a cross-sectional study design.

Individuals with a predominantly mesomorphic somatotype had higher total muscle mass compared to other somatotypes.

• Mesomorphs had the highest levels of multiple body composition components including muscle, bone, fat-free mass, and water.
• Ectomorphs had the lowest levels of these body composition components.
• Body composition analysis was performed using an electrical bioimpedance method.

Somatotype components correlated significantly with age, with a greater proportion of endomorphy and mesomorphy observed in older age groups.

• The correlation between somatotype components and age was described as statistically significant.
• Both endomorphy and mesomorphy increased with older age.
• The age range of subjects spanned from 18 to 75 years, allowing assessment across a broad adult lifespan.

BMI and waist circumference varied significantly by somatotype in women, while BMI, waist circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) were all somatotype dependent in men.

• In men, similarly elevated BMI and waist circumference values were found in endomorphs and mesomorphs, with lower values in ectomorphs.
• WHR was additionally somatotype dependent in men but not specifically noted as such in women.
• Waist circumference was measured as part of the anthropological measurement battery.
• These anthropometric indices are recognized risk markers for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.

Resting blood pressure was associated with somatotype in women, and ectomorphy was negatively associated with risk factors for disease in older men.

• Blood pressure was measured using a sphygmomanometer, recording heart rate, systolic, and diastolic blood pressure.
• The association between resting blood pressure and somatotype was specifically identified in women.
• In older men, the ectomorphic somatotype component showed a negative association with disease risk factors.
• This suggests that somatotype-disease risk relationships may differ between sexes.

Somatotype was concluded to provide complementary information to individual measurements for assessing biological risk and predisposition to disease, particularly among women.

• The authors describe somatotype as 'a useful and appropriate tool for describing health-related characteristics across different populations, including both healthy and diseased individuals.'
• The utility of somatotype was emphasized especially for women based on the blood pressure and body composition findings.
• Somatotyping was proposed as a supplement to, rather than replacement for, individual anthropometric and physiological measurements.
• The study population was explicitly described as healthy adults, establishing baseline somatotype-health relationships.