Background:

Some studies suggest that nutritional status and body composition can affect the voice.

Objective:

Compare nutritional status and body composition of lyrical singers with the tessitura of their voices.

Materials and Methods:

A cross-sectional and descriptive study was carried out in healthy lyrical singers of both sexes from the city of Concepción, Chile. The signers classified themselves as soprano, mezzo-soprano and alto (women), and tenor, baritone, and bass (men). BMI and waist circumference were determined in an evaluation of body composition, along with fat mass, muscle mass, bone mass, skin and residual mass.

Results:

73.5 % of the singers were overweight, while 47 % showed abdominal obesity. Female singers with a deeper voice (alto) showed higher waist circumference and body fat values than sopranos and mezzo-sopranos. Among men, no differences were found in nutritional status or body composition associated with voice tessitura.

Conclusion:

Data show a possible relationship between nutritional status, body composition, and tessitura in lyrical singers. This is a relationship that warrants examination in future studies.

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