MRI assessment of ectopic fat accumulation in pancreas, liver and skeletal muscle in patients with obesity, overweight and normal BMI in correlation with the presence of central obesity and metabolic syndrome

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• In the available literature, we did not find any information regarding the dynamics of fat accumulation in various organs

• aim of this study was to assess ectopic fat accumulation in pancreas, liver and skeletal muscle in patients with obesity, overweight and normal BMI in correlation with metabolic syndrome (MetS)

• 267 consecutive patients who underwent a standard clinical assessment with BMI calculation

• most rapid relative fat accumulation was in muscle, then in pancreas and then in liver

• Higher steatosis of pancreas, liver, and muscle was demonstrated depending on the number of the satisfied MetS

• 2022

• Average fat fraction for muscles is the arithmetic mean of fat fraction in right and left paraspinal muscles

• average percentage value of fat fraction in skeletal muscle in patients with normal BMI was 5.25%. In overweight patients it was 7.56% and in obese subjects it was 10.93%

• liver fat fraction in patients with normal BMI was 3.66%, in overweight patients it was 5.88% and in obese subjects it was 8.26%

• a direct comparison between ectopic fat accumulation in the three tissues (liver, pancreas, and muscle) and their impact on metabolic disorders has not yet been performed.

• most rapidly relative fat accumulation among the assessed organs was in muscle

• BMI

• fat accumulation also occurs most rapidly in muscle

• lastly in the liver

• pancreas

• liver

• lastly

• waist circumference increases by 1% (percentage point)

• fat fraction increases by 0.18% (SE=0.02%) for muscles

• 0.12% (SE=0.02%) for the liver