New technique images fat metabolism

A team from the University of California, Irvine has developed a cost-effective way to measure fat metabolism using diffuse optical spectroscopic imaging, according to a press release from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Engineering, which supported the project.

Diffuse optical spectroscopic imaging, or DOSI, uses near infrared light to penetrate tissue and measure the concentrations of hemoglobin, water and lipids. This imaging technique provides a way to test interventions aimed at reducing cardiovascular disease, diabetes and risks for heart attack and stroke.

Current techniques to measure fat levels in patients include BMI and imaging via MRI or ultrasound, but these methods cannot determine activity levels within the tissue, according to the release.

Researchers followed 10 adults with overweight assigned a calorie-restricted diet for 12 weeks and used DOSI to measure tissue scattering and fluid absorption. They found that cellular particles shank in size and increased in density, and fat cells decreased in size but became more metabolically active. They also found increases in the rates of metabolism, hydration, blood volume and delivery of blood to the tissue area.

“[DOSI] could help people keeps tabs on whether their diet and exercise is actually working and could be integrated into a series of measurements of fat and muscle,” Bruce Tromberg, PhD, director of the Beckman Laser Institute and Medical Clinic at UCI, said in the release. “We could characterize the biochemical composition of your fat cells and get some better insights.”