Constitutional thinness: body fat metabolism and skeletal muscle are important factors.

Abstract

(1) highlights various abnormal clinical conditions important to help rule out constitutional thinness, including eating disorders, associated pathology and over-exercise, along with a history of weight, physiological menses and weight gain resistance While overfat, whose global prevalence may exceed 80 %(3), is a common cause of chronic disease, physical impairment and raises the risk of infectious disease, both overfat and underfat are associated with immune impairment, in particular reduced glutathione and increased oxidative stress levels(4) Muscle weakness is a common clinical condition that raises the risk of adverse health outcomes including physical impairment, morbidity and all-cause mortality(6), with hand-grip strength an indicator of overall body strength and a predictor of health outcomes(7)