Sex-specific Associations Between Body Composition And Physical Performance Metrics In College Students

PURPOSE: Body composition, particularly fat-free mass (FFM) and fat mass (FM), plays a critical role in physical performance. However, sex-specific differences in these relationships remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the associations between FFM, FM, and a group of performance metrics in male and female college students. METHODS: Data from 27 college students (16 males, 11 females) were analyzed. Body composition (FFM and FM) was assessed using BodPod, and performance metrics including handgrip strength, aerobic capacity (VO2 test), jump height, broad jump distance, and anaerobic capacity (Wingate test) were measured. Spearman correlations were used to evaluate correlations between FFM/FM and performance metrics, stratified by sex. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: In both males and females, FFM showed strong positive correlations with handgrip strength (r = 0.7715, p < 0.0001) and aerobic capacity (VO2max: r = 0.8035, p < 0.0001). FFM also correlated with broad jump distance (r = 0.4806, p < 0.05) and anaerobic capacity (peak force: r = 0.8167, p < 0.0001; relative peak power: r = -0.6246, p < 0.05). In males, FFM correlated with VO2max (r = 0.6815, p < 0.01) and anaerobic capacity (peak force: r = 0.5732, p < 0.05; peak power: r = 0.7719, p < 0.05). In females, FFM correlated with peak force in the anaerobic test (r = 0.6450, p < 0.05) and showed a trend with handgrip strength (r = 0.6419, p = 0.0623). FM showed negative correlations with relative VO2max (r = -0.4802, p < 0.05) and a trend with fatigue index in the Wingate test (r = 0.5326, p = 0.0610). FM correlated negatively with relative VO2max (r = -0.5508, p < 0.05) in males, while showed a trend to negatively correlate with broad jump distance (r = -0.5285, p = 0.0947) in females. CONCLUSION: FFM is strongly associated with muscular strength, aerobic, and anaerobic performance, particularly in males. In females, FFM is linked to peak force and handgrip strength. FM negatively impacts aerobic capacity in males and demonstrates trends with fatigue and broad jump performance in females. These findings highlight sex-specific differences in body composition impacting physical performance, and emphasize the importance of FFM for enhancing performance outcomes and the potential detrimental effects of FM on aerobic and power-related performances.