RESUMO
OBJECTIVES: 1) To study if limb length explains variability in appendicular and total muscle mass better than height and 2) if muscle mass adjusted for limb length rather than height correlates better with grip and knee extension strength. METHODS: 400 healthy women aged 20-40 were recruited as a reference population. Body composition, limb length, grip strength and knee extension strength were measured. New relative muscle mass indexes were computed by adjusting upper limb muscle mass for upper limb length (ULRSMI) and lower limb muscle mass for lower limb length (LLRSMI). RESULTS: Height correlated strongest with all muscle mass measures. Height had the highest R² values for predicting variability in appendicular skeletal muscle mass (0.33), upper limb skeletal muscle mass (0.20), lower limb skeletal muscle mass (0.34) and total skeletal muscle mass (0.36). Correlation of relative skeletal muscle mass index (RSMI) with grip and knee extension strength (r=0.47 and 0.43) was higher when compared with correlation of ULRSMI and LLRSMI with these measures. CONCLUSION: Compared to limb length, height correlates better with regional and total muscle mass. Muscle mass adjusted for height correlates better with grip strength and knee strength when compared with muscle mass adjusted for limb length.