Quantification of abdominal subcutaneous and visceral fat by magnetic resonance imaging of the proton at 3T: application to an overfeeding protocol

Abstract

International audienceOverweight and obesity are a major worldwide health problem increasing the risk to develop pathologies such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The metabolic risk is modulated by the adiposity distribution and the fatty acid composition. Quantitative MRI to assess the fat volumes and composition is still little used. This study shows, using a single 3D multiple gradient echo sequence, that overfeeding has a significant effect on fat storage in the body with an increase of visceral and subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissues volumes, fat storage in the liver and seems to have an effect on stored fat composition