Making a distinction between “good” subcutaneous abdominal fat and “bad” visceral abdominal fat is important when determining the risks of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disorders. To assess this accurately, Dutch researchers have developed and validated a new ultrasound technique that is less expensive and less complicated than computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning, which are frequently used for the same purpose.

Researcher Dr. Emanuella de Lucia Rolfe, from the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG; The Netherlands), has demonstrated that measuring abdominal fat with ultrasound gives reliable results in infants, children, and adults. Dr. De Lucia Rolfe was awarded a PhD on January 30, 2012, by the University of Groningen for her research.

Obesity is a well-known risk factor for developing diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, but the location of the fat is at least as important. Subcutaneous fat has a minor effect on the development of atherosclerosis (thickening of the arteries), a larger amount of visceral fat is linked to a greater risk of cardiovascular diseases. This also applies to diabetes type 2, adult-onset diabetes. To determine the effects of preventive measures against cardiovascular diseases in detail, it is very important to be able to distinguish between subcutaneous and visceral fat, according to Dr. de Lucia Rolfe.

Performing an ultrasound is simpler, less problematic, and less expensive than scanning with CT or MRI. The latter two techniques are often not possible in large-scale medical studies or in research on children due to ethical and realistic constrains. With the help of the ultrasound technique, it is possible to evaluate the amount of subcutaneous abdominal fat between the skin and the peritoneum, and gauge how much visceral fat there is between the peritoneum and the spine. Dr. De Lucia Rolfe therefore concluded that ultrasound is a suitable and effective technique for quantifying both types of abdominal fat.

Research on the distribution of abdominal fat is particularly important in very young children in order to determine the effects of preventive measures on the development of obesity. Dr. De Lucia Rolfe researched the relationships between birth weight, the amount of subcutaneous and visceral fat, the speed of weight gain after birth, and breastfeeding. She demonstrated that a fast weight gain in the first months of life led to an increase in visceral abdominal fat. A positive effect of breastfeeding was that children between 3 and 12 months old developed less visceral abdominal fat than children who were bottle-fed.

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