Subcutaneous adipose tissue water fraction increases with weight loss in persons with obesity

Abstract

Subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) dysfunction is key in defining high-risk individuals in obesity. A change in adipose tissue water fraction with weight loss may reflect improvement in blood flow or changes in microstructure of adipose tissue. Single-voxel STEAM Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) and chemical shift encoded-based water-fat separation are non-invasive methods to assess the water fraction and proton density fat fraction (PDFF) of adipose tissue. The present work aims to investigate the feasibility of MRS and water-fat separation to quantify PDFF and evaluate the changes in SAT water fraction in persons with obesity undergoing an 8-week weight loss intervention.