Poster Presentation ANZOS-OSSANZ-AOCO Joint Annual Scientific Meeting 2017

Assessing risk associated with subcutaneous and visceral adiposity measured by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): the TOFI_Asia study (#235)

Ivana R Sequeira 1 , Wilson Yip 1 , Louise WW Lu 1 , lindsay Plank 2 , Jun Lu 3 , Sally D Poppitt 1 4
  1. Human Nutrition Unit, School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
  2. Body Composition Unit, Department of Surgery, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
  3. Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, AUT, Auckland, New Zealand
  4. Department of Medicine, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

The Peak Nutrition for Metabolic Health (PANaMAH) platform, is one of four priority research platforms in the New Zealand National Science Challenge (NSC) program, investigating metabolic susceptibility and resilience to type 2 diabetes (T2D). Site of lipid deposition has long been associated with modulation of metabolic risk. In adults with low body mass index (BMI) and total adiposity, the thin on the outside fat on the inside ‘TOFI’ profile may predispose to poor glycaemic control and increased risk of T2D. Characterised by ectopic lipid storage at key sites, purported to be due in part to lipid overspill from safer peripheral stores1, growing evidence shows Asian adults to be at particular risk compared to gender and age matched Caucasian counterparts. High levels of visceral fat has also been associated with decreased peripheral insulin sensitivity and increased hepatic insulin resistance, and can be predictive of fat accumulation in liver and pancreas2. Whilst total body, abdominal and visceral adiposity can be accurately measured using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA)3, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and spectroscopy (MRS) are required to quantify ectopic lipid2,4. However there is a paucity of data that assesses the relationship between fat content of abdominal and visceral compartments measured by the two methodologies. In a cohort of 70 healthy and prediabetic, lean and overweight, Asian Chinese and Caucasian women (aged 44.7 ± 14.3; BMI 27 ± 4.3 kg/m2), abdominal and visceral fat/adiposity from DeXA, (fat mass) and 3 Tesla Chemical shift MRI (fat volume) was compared. Furthermore the impact and quantitative role of visceral fat on indices of glycaemia (fasting plasma glucose, FPG; glycated haemoglobin, HbA1c) was determined.

  1. Saponaro C, Gaggini M, Carli F, et al. The subtle balance between lipolysis and lipogenesis: a critical point in metabolic homeostasis. Nutrients 2015;7:9453-9474.
  2. Rossi AP, Fantin F, Zamboni GA, et al. Predictors of ectopic fat accumulation in liver and pancreas in obese men and women.Obesity 2011;19(9):1747-1754
  3. Kaul S, Rothney MP, Peters DM, et al. Dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry for quantification of visceral fat. Obesity 2012;20(6):1313-1318.
  4. Springer F, Machann J, Claussen CD, et al. Liver fat content determined by magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy.World J Gastroenterology 2010;16(13):1560-1566.