title: Ectopic fat in youth: the contribution of hepatic and pancreatic fat to metabolic disturbances.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the relationships between parameters of glucose and insulin metabolism and visceral and abdominal ectopic fat in youth.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross sectional study of 50 children (24 females), 8-18 years old. Anthropometrics, body composition, blood-work and visceral and ectopic fat by magnetic resonance imaging were assessed. Insulin secretion, insulin sensitivity and beta cell function were calculated from an oral glucose tolerance test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  BMI z-scores ranged between -1.3 and 4.5. The hepatic fat fraction (HFF) ranged between 0 and 36% and pancreatic fat fraction (PFF) between 0 and 14%. Visceral fat, HFF and PFF were associated with clinical and biochemical metabolic abnormalities, and correlated with markers of insulin sensitivity (r = -0.60, P < 0.01; r = -0.64, P < 0.01; r = -0.48, P < 0.01, respectively) insulin secretion (r = 0.55, P < 0.01; r = 0.57, P < 0.01; r = 0.41, P < 0.01, respectively), and beta cell function (r = -0.49, P < 0.01; r = -0.59, P < 0.01; r = -0.39, P < 0.01, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Accumulations of pancreatic and hepatic fat have complementary clinical consequences in youth. While visceral and hepatic fat demonstrated a dominant effect, even relatively small degrees of pancreatic fat deposition may contribute to metabolic alterations.
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology, the Hospital for Sick Children, and the University of Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Michal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: Catriona
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Syme
authors.forename: Meghan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Deforest
authors.forename: Greg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wells
authors.forename: Garry
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Detzler
authors.forename: Hai-Ling
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: McCrindle
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hanley
authors.forename: Jill
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hamilton
mesh_terms: D050153:Abdominal Fat / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000293:Adolescent; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D001823:Body Composition; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D000078790:Insulin Secretion; D050417:Insulin-Secreting Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D010179:Pancreas / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D007328:Insulin