Dr Chris reviews the latest health and medical products and news, including the new MRI Fat Scan

What's new 31 Jan 2007 - Fat Scan

'Fat Scan' Shows Up Health Risk
A scan can spot which people harbour dangerous levels of fat around their vital internal organs, scientists say.

Last Updated: Sunday, 10 December 2006, 07:01 GMT E-mail this to a friend Printable version 'Fat scan' shows up health risk Fat appears white on the MRI scan A scan can spot which people harbour dangerous levels of fat around their vital internal organs, scientists say. Hammersmith Hospital, in west London, is currently the only hospital in Europe using the MRI scan.

Its scientists say 40% of the population have "bad" fat around the heart, liver or pancreas, even though many appear thin.

They warn it is possible to be slim and yet still be at risk of conditions like diabetes because of "hidden" fat.

Evidence suggests the precise location of fat has more of a bearing on health than simply being overweight.

For example, people who have too much weight around their middle, often called an "apple" shape, have a greater risk of developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes than those who are pear shaped and carry the weight around the hips.

While doctors can check whether a person is a healthy weight for their height by calculating their body mass index or BMI (weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared), they cannot see the dangerous hidden fat.

Lead researcher Professor Jimmy Bell, a Medical Research Council scientist, explained: "One of the problems with BMI is it gives you the wrong idea of how much fat you have. It's about where you have the fat. Fat is good in general, but when you have too much of it or fat in the wrong places it is bad. Someone can look really thin and have a normal BMI but have seven litres of fat inside them when they should ideally only have one litre."

For more information, see the Medical Research Council web site


This content was created on Wed 31 January 2007

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