The role of muscle mass in university students’ metabolic health: an approach using multivariate models
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v79.118381Keywords:
Body composition, college students, metabolic risk, muscle mass, visceral fatAbstract
Introduction: Metabolic health in university students has gained relevance due to hidden risk factors not detected by traditional metrics.
Objective: To determine the influence of relative muscle mass and visceral fat on metabolic risk in college students.
Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 325 students aged 18 to 35. Body composition was assessed by bioimpedance, and multivariate logistic regression was performed adjusting for age, sex, body fat percentage, and visceral fat.
Results: 68.31% of participants showed high metabolic risk. Visceral fat was the strongest predictor (OR = 3.18; p < 0.001). Male sex was protective (OR = 0.25; p = 0.031), while relative muscle mass was not statistically significant.
Discussion: These findings align with recent literature emphasizing visceral fat as a superior marker to BMI or subcutaneous fat. The lack of significance for muscle mass may reflect the predominant effect of visceral adiposity.
Conclusions: Visceral fat is a key determinant of metabolic risk in university students. Early detection and interventions focusing on visceral fat reduction and muscle strengthening are recommended.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Kevin Armijo Valverde, Edgar Morales Caluña, Vanessa Vargas Olalla, Nibia Novillo Luzuriaga, Katherine Suarez Gonzalez, Pamela Ruiz Polit, Dayana Saltos Atiencia, Edison Velez Pillco
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