title: Lipid content in the musculature of the lower leg assessed by fat selective MRI: intra- and interindividual differences and correlation with anthropometric and metabolic data.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the muscular lipid content (LC) in different muscle groups of the lower leg by a magnetic resonance imaging technique working with chemical shift selective excitation, and comparison with anthropometric and metabolic data.
  
  
  METHODS
  Examinations were performed in 67 volunteers (54 male/13 female, age 29 +/- seven years) on a 1.5 T whole body imager, applying a highly selective spectral-spatial technique for fat selective MRI. LC was measured in six calf muscles and correlated with body mass index (BMI), percent body fat (PFAT), and insulin sensitivity (IS) of the subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean muscular LC of all subjects was between 2.0% (Tibialis posterior [TP]) and 3.8% (Peroneus muscles) with female subjects showing a significantly higher LC in all muscle groups (P < 0.05 each). LCs correlated moderately with BMI (R between 0.39 [TP] and 0.53 [GM]) and with PFAT (R between 0.38 [TP] and 0.62 [GM]). Insulin-resistant subjects showed slightly but not significantly increased LC compared to insulin-sensitive subjects in BMI-matched subgroups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The fat-selective MRI technique allows a reliable non-invasive measure of muscular lipids - even in muscle groups with inherent low LC - within a relatively short measurement time of about three minutes. The presented data reveal interesting interrelationships between LC and anthropometric and metabolic data, and therefore provide new insight into muscular fat metabolism.
authors.affiliation: Section on Experimental Radiology, Eberhard-Karls-University Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany. jurgen.machann@med.uni-tuebingen.de
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Machann
authors.forename: Oliver P
authors.initials: OP
authors.lastname: Bachmann
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Brechtel
authors.forename: Dominik B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Dahl
authors.forename: Beate
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wietek
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Klumpp
authors.forename: Hans-U
authors.initials: HU
authors.lastname: Häring
authors.forename: Claus D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Claussen
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jacob
authors.forename: Fritz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schick
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000886:Anthropometry; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D015309:Glucose Clamp Technique; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D008055:Lipids / Q000032:analysis*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012016:Reference Values; D017678:Sex Distribution
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids