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Hidden Deep Fat in Children and Teens a Risk

More precise estimates of deep fat can help predict risk for disease in teenagers, and using magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, may be an important new tool to help measure this, experts say in the medical journal Radiology.

The MRI technology appears to be a fast and effective way to detect patterns of excessive intra-abdominal fat in children and teens.

"We found a technique that can determine the distribution of fat quickly," says study author Dr. Marilyn Siegel, a professor of radiology and pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Fat Volume Highest in Teens with Diabetes

The MRI technique is expected to be used as a research tool, not to enter mainstream practice.

But determining the extent of this intra-abdominal, or visceral, fat to assess youngsters' heart disease risk is important, experts say.

Too much of this fat can put children and teens at risk for developing heart problems, diabetes, and other ailments, just as it can in adults.

Dr. Siegel's team used two types of MRI - single-slice (which takes a few minutes) or multi-slice, which takes longer.

The team then compared them to two established methods used to measure fat distribution.

This measurement included anthropometry, which involves taking physical measurements such as waist circumference, abdominal height, and body-mass index, or dual energy absorptiometry (DEXA), a whole-body scan that distinguishes lean mass from fat tissue.

The experts say anthropometry is not very precise, and DEXA involves exposure to radiation.

MRI might get around those problems, the researchers posed.

"What we did was assess a fast technique to look at fat," says Dr. Siegel. Speed is important, she adds, because "if you are looking at a child, you want to do [the exam] as fast as you can."

Dr. Siegel's team evaluated 30 children with the two different MRI techniques and the established techniques. The 20 boys and 10 girls were all between the ages of 10 and 18.

Eleven were of normal weight without diabetes, 10 were overweight and had type 2 diabetes, and nine were overweight but without diabetes.

"Single-slice MRI is simple and fast and has the potential to be used in clinical research applications, such as monitoring treatment, planning patient management, and implementing clinical trials," says Dr. Siegel.

The overall fat volume was found to be highest in the overweight teens with diabetes, she says.

Experts Say MRI Will Help Assess Risk

Another expert, Dr. Bonita Franklin, a pediatrician and pediatric endocrinologist at the New York University Medical Center, says the MRI will serve as a useful research tool to detect intra-abdominal fat.

For instance, she says, researchers might use it to determine the effects of a particular diet plan on intra-abdominal fat - measuring children's fat with the MRI before and after the diet.

While pediatricians can generally tell if a patient is overweight, using the MRI scan may give them a more precise picture, says Dr. Franklin.

The MRI "correlated well" with the other methods, she says. And detecting how much visceral fat is there can help a pediatrician assess a patient's risk.

It is the visceral fat inside the abdomen that is more highly correlated with risk for cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, insulin resistance, and diabetes risk, explains Dr. Franklin.

Meanwhile, parents who suspect their children are too heavy should consult with their pediatrician and ask if their weight can be evaluated and put a plan into place if weight is found to be excessive.

Always consult your physician for more information.