Abstract: Objective To describe the age-dependent changes in body composition in Chinese elderly who are dwelling in the community with independent living ability. Methods Cross-sectional data from 1017 community-dwelling elderly conducting physical examination at Wuxi Meicun Community Health Service Center from October to December 2020 were analyzed. The research subjects were divided into 3 groups according to their age (60-69 years old; 70-79 years old; ≥80 years old). Body composition parameters including height,body weight, body mass index (BMI),body fat percentage, waist-hip ratio, body fat content, body muscle mass,skeletal muscle masses and bone mineral content were measured with a bioelectrical impedance analyser. Results There were no significant changes in fat content, BMI, waist circumference, waist hip ratio and body fat percentage with the increase of age (P>0.05).The muscle masses and bone contents of whole body,the trunk,upper and lower limbs were decreased with the increase of age in women (P<0.01),but there was no difference in men (P> 0.05). The muscle masses and bone contents of whole body,the trunk,upper and lower limbs in men were higher than those in women of the same age group (P<0.001), while the fat content in women was higher than that in men of the same age group (P<0.05). Conclusions The decrease of muscle and bone content caused by aging is affected by gender, which is common in women, but aging has little effect on fat content.

Key words: community elderly, body composition, body fat content, muscle mass, bone mineral content