Latest study from the University of Warwick and University Hospitals of Coventry and Warwickshire reveals that the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can better recognize and prove the presence of brown fat, or brown adipose tissue, in a living adult, as opposed to the current approach of positron emission tomography (PET). The MRI method could greatly assist in developing new therapies to fight or prevent obesity and diabetes.

Titled Brown adipose tissue identification in an adult human using IDEAL MRI, the study says that brown fat can help keep weight in check because it can use energy and burn calories, and for this reason that it has become a hot issue for scientists.

"The MRI allows us to distinguish between the brown fat, and the more well-known white fat that people associate with weight gain, due to the different water to fat ratio of the two tissue types. We can use the scans to highlight what we term 'regions of interest' that can help us to build a picture of where the brown fat is located," Dr. Thomas Barber said in a statement. Barber is from Warwick Medical School's Department of Metabolic and Vascular Health.

The researchers said PET also shows activity of brown fat, but with some limitations that include the challenge of signal variability from a varying temperature of the environment. Meanwhile, MRI can display active or non-active brown fat component as well as provide a detailed perception of its location in the body of an adult, which could help in creating future therapies that intend to stimulate brown fat deposits to fight the said diseases.

"The potential is there for us to develop safe and effective ways of activating this brown fat to promote weight loss and increase energy expenditure - but we need more data to be able to get to that point," Dr. Barber added.

Nevertheless, he also said this proof is fundamental to more research that would pursue MRI techniques in assessing and gathering information in the future.

The researchers used the MRI technology at the University Hospital in Coventry to conduct the study. The next step of the researchers is to further prove the technique used among a bigger group of adults.

The rising number of cases of obesity and diabetes, especially in the U.S., has been a great concern among health care physicians and various governments, and studies such as this is vital in the prevention of specific health conditions and in the promotion of better health care to individuals.

The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism published the said study. Study authors also include Professor Charles Hutchinson, Dr. Sarah Wayte, Dr. Narendra Reddy, Dr. Terence Jones, Oludolapo Adesanya, Harpal Randeva, Yen Yeo, and Sudhesh Kumar.