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Abstract
Aging alters body composition and nutritional status. The Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) is the gold standard for detecting malnutrition, but its relationship with bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is understudied in rural Latin America. Objective: To analyze the correlation between BIA parameters and the MNA in rural older adults from Cuenca, Ecuador. Observational, descriptive, and cross-sectional study. 316 older adults (≥60 years; 68.7% women; mean age 74.3 ± 7.6 years) from the rural parishes of Sinincay, Ricaurte, and El Valle were included. Body composition was assessed by multisegmental BIA, and nutritional status was assessed using the complete MNA. Data were analyzed using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Mann-Whitney U test. The MNA reported 43.4% at risk of malnutrition, 14.6% with malnutrition, and 43.4% with normal nutritional status. There was no significant correlation between BIA and MNA parameters (p>0.05), except for chronological age (r=-0.157) and body age (r=-0.127). Significant differences were found between nutritional groups in muscle mass (p=0.033) and basal metabolic rate (BMR; p=0.028); paradoxically, the malnourished group had greater muscle mass (21.9±5.0 kg) and BMR (1264±192 kcal/day) than the at-risk group (p<0.05). Classic body composition parameters using BIA did not correlate significantly with the overall MNA score, suggesting that the MNA captures functional, dietary, and social dimensions not reflected in BIA measurements. Integrating both tools is recommended for a comprehensive nutritional diagnosis.
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