title: Pancreatic Fat Is Associated With Metabolic Syndrome and Visceral Fat but Not Beta-Cell Function or Body Mass Index in Pediatric Obesity.
abstract: Adolescents with obesity have increased risk of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome (MetS). Pancreatic fat has been related to these conditions; however, little is known about associations in pediatric obesity. The present study was designed to explore these associations further.
  
  
  
  We examined 116 subjects, 90 with obesity. Anthropometry, MetS, blood samples, and oral glucose tolerance tests were assessed using standard techniques. Pancreatic fat fraction (PFF) and other fat depots were quantified using magnetic resonance imaging.
  
  
  
  The PFF was elevated in subjects with obesity. No association between PFF and body mass index-standard deviation score (BMI-SDS) was found in the obesity subcohort. Pancreatic fat fraction correlated to Insulin Secretion Sensitivity Index-2 and Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance in simple regression; however, when using adjusted regression and correcting for BMI-SDS and other fat compartments, PFF correlated only to visceral adipose tissue and fasting glucose. Highest levels of PFF were found in subjects with obesity and MetS.
  
  
  
  In adolescents with obesity, PFF is elevated and associated to MetS, fasting glucose, and visceral adipose tissue but not to beta-cell function, glucose tolerance, or BMI-SDS. This study demonstrates that conclusions regarding PFF and its associations depend on the body mass features of the cohort.
authors.affiliation: From the Departments of *Medical Cell Biology and †Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; ‡Department of Paediatrics, Division of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition and §Obesity Research Unit, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; ∥Obesity Unit for Children and Adolescents, Uppsala University Children's Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden; ¶Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg; #Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna; **Department of Radiology, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg; ††Academic Institute for Clinical Nutrition, Vienna, Austria; and Departments of ‡‡Chemistry - BMC, Analytical Chemistry, and SciLifeLab and §§Surgical Sciences, Radiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Staaf
authors.forename: Viktor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Labmayr
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Paulmichl
authors.forename: Hannes
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Manell
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cen
authors.forename: Iris
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ciba
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dahlbom
authors.forename: Kirsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Roomp
authors.forename: Christian-Heinz
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Anderwald
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Meissnitzer
authors.forename: Reinhard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Forslund
authors.forename: Kurt
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Widhalm
authors.forename: Jonas
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bergquist
authors.forename: Håkan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ahlström
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bergsten
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Weghuber
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kullberg
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism*; D000293:Adolescent; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D050417:Insulin-Secreting Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000378:metabolism*; D009765:Obesity / Q000378:metabolism; D010179:Pancreas / Q000378:metabolism*; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose