Measurement of Fat Content in the Human Body by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Methods

Abstract

Aim: Characteristics of adipose tissue in the human body reflect the specifics of metabolism
in the body, and therefore present an interest for the medical diagnostics. It is useful to apply
the methods that allow to get such information non-invasively, namely with the help of high
resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and magnetic resonance imaging
(MRI).
Material and Methods: In the present study, we have implemented such techniques by using the
0.5-Tesla MRI scanner Bruker Tomikon S50. Processing MRI images was carried out using
graphical tools of ImageJ software.
Results: Measurements of fat content in the human body by NMR spectroscopy were carried
out on the 0.5 T MRI scanners. The NMR spectra were obtained from the separate parts of the
body and then combined. The peaks of water and fat were determined in this composite spectrum. Their analysis provided information about the content of fat in the human body. To spatially select the scanned volume, we applied the methods of local NMR spectroscopy with the
use of non-uniform (gradient) fields. We then compared spectral data with the average density
of the body for each study subject, as well as with the volume of fat found from the MR images.
The correlation between these parameters was established.
Conclusion: There is an inverse relationship between the average body density and the fat-towater ratios obtained from spectroscopy (IF/IW) and MRI (VF/V) data. For any person, the
correlation between the real body fat percentage and the ratio of water and fat peaks from the
whole-body NMR spectra takes place.