Pancreatic fat infiltration, β-cell function and insulin resistance: A study of the young patients with obesity

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between pancreatic fat infiltration (PFI) and glucose metabolism disorder, β-cell function and insulin resistance in patients with obesity.

Methods: Pancreatic fat fraction (PFF) was quantified by MRI IDEAL-IQ technique. PFF greater than 6.2 % was defined as PFI, and 34 obese patients were divided into PFI and non-PFI groups. The 5-point plasma glucose and insulin values during oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) were recorded. OGTT-derived indices of insulin resistance and β-cell function were calculated.

Results: Glucose values levels at 0-120 min during OGTT were significantly higher and β-cell function variables were lower in PFI group than non-PFI group. While indices of insulin resistance were not significantly different between two groups. Correlation analysis showed that PFF was positively correlated with glucose levels at 0, 30 and 60 min, negatively correlated with β-cell function variables and not significantly correlated with indices of insulin resistance. However, these associations of PFF with β-cell function and glucose levels were only present in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) group but not in non-T2DM group.

Conclusion: There is an association between PFI and impaired β-cell function, and increased pancreatic fat may be a potential risk factor for the development of T2DM.