The evaluation of body composition and anthropometric measurements of males aged 18-25 years, based on the regularity of physical exercise Aziz Aksoy 1 , Halime Selen 1 1 Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health, Bitlis Eren University, Bitlis,Turkey - E-mail: aksoy_aziz@hotmail.com Summary. Tere were 200 participants in total, on a voluntary basis in the study. Of these participants, 100 were male students aged 18-25 years who exercised regularly and vigorously, and 100 were male aged 18- 25 years who did not participate in any physical activity. Te measurements of BMI, body fat composition, hip-to-waist ratio, and skinfolds measured at nine diferent anatomical areas of their bodies (pectoral, biceps, triceps, subscapular, abdominal, suprailiac, thigh, midaxillary and the medial part of the leg) using skinfold caliper were recorded in the Excel format. It was determined that there was a signifcant diference (p<0.05) between the BMI of those who exercised regularly and of those who did not, and that there were signifcant diferences (p<0.05) between muscle weights, hip-to-waist ratio, body fat composition, total body water, and basal metabolic rates of the participants who exercised regularly and of those who did not. It was determined that the total body water was increased in the subjects who exercised regularly due to increased muscle weight and mass, their hip-to-waist and body fat ratios were lower, and basal metabolic rates were higher when com- pared to the non-exercisers. It was also determined that there were signifcant diferences (p<0.05) between the two groups regarding of skinfold caliper measurements at nine diferent areas. When the data from the study, which is the frst to include nine diferent anatomical regions, was evaluated, it was concluded that the sedentary lifestyle infuences the onset of obesity and it can be partially treated with physical activity. Key words: anthropometric measurement, regular exercise, athlete, physical activity, obesity Progress in Nutrition 2018; Vol. 20, N. 3: 338-343 DOI: 10.23751/pn.v20i3.7284 © Mattioli 1885 Original article 1. Introduction Exercising can be defned as making a habit of performing physical activity on a regular basis, which is important for overall health (1). With the recogni- tion of the relationship between a sedentary lifestyle and chronic disorders, the tendency to exercising is continuously increasing. Te World Health Organization defnes sports or exercises as any physical movement produced by the skeletal muscles, requiring energy consumption (2). Te increased prevalence of obesity, which is due to the improvement of socioeconomic conditions in de- veloping and developed countries and the subsequent withdrawal from an active lifestyle, brings about many chronic disorders with it (3). It is known that exer- cising has positive impacts on obesity, coronary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, dyslipidemia, depression, cancer, muscles, bones, and joints (4-6). Te most commonly used measure for overweight and obesity is the Body Mass Index (BMI), a simple index to classify overweight and obesity in adults. It is defned as the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters (kg/m2). Body mass in- dex (BMI) is a measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to adult men and women (6). Body composition is defned as the relative weight ratio of fatty and fat-free tissues of the body (2), whereas anthropometry is measurement of physical parameters