Relationships between body composition and strength of physically active women - a systematic review

The aim of this study was to determine whether there is a connection between body composition and strength in physically active women and whether the parameters of body composition are reliable enough when it comes to muscle strength? The following scientific databases were used to search the literature: PubMed, MEDLINE, Google Scholar in the period from 2001 to 2018. Studies have been included if they have shown values of strength and body composition parameters and studies showing an association between body composition and strength in physically active women. The total number of studies included in the systematization is 20, and they also refer to the connection between body composition and muscle strength in physically active women. The results indicate that BMI (body mass index) is not a good enough indicator of the state of muscle strength and in most studies BMI is not statistically significantly associated with strength in physically active women. The results of other parameters of body composition: F% (percentage of body fat), MM (muscle mass in kg) and LBM (lean body mass) show a higher statistically significant correlation with strength, especially variables MM and LBM that are directly correlated with muscle strength. Only works that included and measured a number of body composition parameters showed a certain statistical correlation with strength in physically active women and based on a number of body composition variables can be said and can be sufficiently reliable and relevant when it comes to muscle strength.