Pancreatic fat could predict diabetes

According to diabetes researchers, overweight people have large fat deposits in their pancreas, but previous research has been unable to locate where, or calculate how much fat is located in this area of the body.
Now scientists at UT Southwestern Medical Center have been able to measure pancreatic fat amongst humans using a special imaging technique called magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
Dr. Lingvay, an assistance professor of internal medicine at UT, reportedly commented: “These are very early results, but if they hold true, pancreatic MRS would be a fast and noninvasive test to screen people at risk for diabetes either because they’re obese or they have a family history of type 2 diabetes, or metabolic syndrome. It could potentially tell physicians which patients are most likely to develop diabetes in the near future and thus are in need of more aggressive interventions.”