Campa F et al. Changes in Phase Angle … Int J Sports Med Training & Testing Thieme Introduction Age-related changes in bioelectrical impedance variables during aging are known, with decreases in the phase angle (PhA) in men and women from 65 to 90 years old refecting the modifcation of hydration status, body composition, and cellular function that oc- curs with the aging process [5, 30]. The bioelectrical PhA is consid- ered a predictive indicator of sarcopenia, muscular function, fragil- ity, and risk of mortality in older adults [2, 13]. PhA is derived from bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and it is easily calculated as the arctangent of the ratio between the BIA reactance (Xc) and re- sistance (R) [18]. R is the opposition ofered by the body to the fow of an alternating electrical current, and it is inversely related to the water and electrolyte content of tissue. Xc is related to the capaci- tance properties of the cell membrane and variations that can occur depending on its integrity, function, and composition [3]. The aging process also leads to a reduction in the number and the size of motor units and type 2 muscle fbers, with a loss in mus- cle size of about 1 % per year after the age of 50 years [21]. These factors afect the physical condition of older adults and induce mus- cle strength loss, which directly infuences their physical independ- ence and health [29]. In this regard, handgrip strength and muscle strength, indicators of muscle quality, have shown to be more sig- nifcant than muscle mass in estimating mortality risk [26]. Previ- ous studies showed that low handgrip strength values are associ- ated with a higher risk of malnutrition and mental and physical de- terioration, because these factors play an important role in the autonomy and quality of life of older adults [15, 22, 32]. Physical activity in old age is an effective countermeasure against the age-related reductions in cellular mass and muscle strength [1, 14, 23]. In this regard, several authors have studied the Campa Francesco et al. Changes in Phase Angle … Int J Sports Med 2018; 00: 00–00 Changes in Phase Angle and Handgrip Strength Induced by Suspension training in Older Women Authors Francesco Campa 1 , Analiza Mónica Silva 2 , Stefania Toselli 1 Afliations 1 Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Science, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy 2 Technical University of Lisbon, Faculty of Human Movement, Lisboa, Portugal Key words anthropometry, bioelectrical impedance, body composition, specifc BIVA accepted 29.01.2018 Bibliography DOI https://doi.org/10.1055/a-0574-3166 Published online: 2018 Int J Sports Med © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York ISSN 0172-4622 Correspondence Dr. Francesco Campa Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Science University of Bologna Via Selmi, 3 Bologna, 40123 Italy Tel.: + 39/051/2094 195, Fax: + 39/051/2094 286 francesco.campa3@unibo.it AbSTrACT This study aimed to present a suspension exercise training pro- gram suitable for older adults and to verify the efect of 12 weeks of training on handgrip strength (HS) and anthropomet- ric and bioelectrical impedance parameters in older adults. Thirty older women (age 66.1 ± 4.7 years, BMI 30.6 ± 5.3 kg/m 2 ) were randomly assigned to one of two groups: a training group (TG, n = 15) or a control group (CG, n = 15). The TG participated in a 12-week suspension training program, while the CG main- tained their normal physical activity habits for the duration of the study. Anthropometric, bioelectrical impedance and strength parameters were evaluated before and after the in- tervention period. There was a signifcant group by time inter- action (p < 0.05) for triceps, biceps, subscapular skinfold, per- centage of fat mass, phase angle (PhA), resistance, reactance, specifc resistance, specifc reactance and HS, with signifcant improvements in the TG after the intervention period (p < 0.05) even after adjusting for age and BMI. The results suggest that suspension training promotes increases in PhA and HS in older women. Downloaded by: The University of British Columbia Library. Copyrighted material.