Ultrasonic Assessment for Measuring Abdominal Adipose Tissue
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Ultrasonic Assessment of Abdominal Adipose Tissue: Linking Distribution and Thickness to Metabolic Risk Evaluation
IRAS ID
355962
Contact name
Baichen Lu
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Imperial College London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Metabolic diseases—including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease—are increasingly prevalent and closely associated with abdominal obesity. While waist circumference is commonly used to estimate abdominal fat, it does not provide a full picture of metabolic risk. Recent evidence highlights that the distribution of abdominal adipose tissue (AT) is more predictive than total fat volume. Abdominal AT consists of subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT). VAT, located deeper in the abdominal cavity, is metabolically active and pro-inflammatory, contributing more strongly to insulin resistance and other metabolic abnormalities than SAT.
Although MRI and CT are capable of measuring AT distribution, their high cost, limited accessibility, and (in the case of CT) radiation exposure make them less suitable for widespread use. In contrast, ultrasound is a safe, non-invasive, and cost-effective imaging tool that can differentiate between SAT and VAT. Despite this, its application in studying AT distribution in relation to metabolic disease remains limited.
This study aims to use ultrasound to assess abdominal AT distribution in overweight and obese individuals. By linking SAT and VAT thickness with metabolic health indicators, we aim to evaluate whether ultrasound-based fat profiling could serve as an early marker of metabolic disease risk.
REC name
South Central - Hampshire B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/SC/0267
Date of REC Opinion
27 Aug 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion