Validity of the Mellits and Cheek method for body-fat estimation in relation to menstrual cycle status in athletes and non-athletes below 22 per cent fat
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13922022 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Frank I Katch (University of Massachusetts Boston, corresponding author), Deborah L Spiak (University of Massachusetts Boston) |
| Year | 1984 |
| Volume | 11 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 389-396 |
| Publication date | 1984-01-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Annals of Human Biology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0301-4460 • E-ISSN: 1464-5033 |
| Publisher | Informa (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/03014468400007301 |
| PMID | 6486711 |
| OpenAlex | W2114609834 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 18 |
The present experiment tested the hypothesis that 22% body fat based on the Mellits and Cheek (1970) regression equation is a minimum or 'trigger' level of fatness required to maintain regularity of menstrual cycles. The validity of the regression equation was cross-validated against densitometric estimates of body fat in 30 athletes (track, gymnastic, crew) and 30 non-athletes who were below 22% fat. For the total sample, the validity correlation was r = 0.47 between body fat (density) and body fat (regression equation); it was r = 0.75 for athletes and r = 0.47 for non-athletes. For all subjects, 60% had regular menses, 27% were oligomenorrheic and 13% were amenorrheic. The lowest body fat (density) was 12.8% for an athlete with a regular cycle and 12.2% for an oligomenorrheic athlete. The results show that: the Mellits and Cheek (1970) height-weight based regression equation to determine fatness is not valid for women below 22% fat, and 13% body fat (not 22%), should be considered an upper-bound estimate of a minimum level of fatness associated with normal ovulatory cycles
Athletes · Body adiposity index · Body mass index · Classification of obesity · Fat mass · Menstrual cycle · Physical therapy · Regression analysis · Statistics · Body Composition Measurement Techniques · Mathematics · Medicine · Sports Performance and Training · Thermoregulation and physiological responses · Endocrinology
| Citations per year | 0.03 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 1991 - 1991 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |