Aims We aimed to compare renal sinus fat volume assessed by MRI between patients with type 2 diabetes and healthy volunteers, and investigate the association between renal sinus fat and metabolic... Show moreAims We aimed to compare renal sinus fat volume assessed by MRI between patients with type 2 diabetes and healthy volunteers, and investigate the association between renal sinus fat and metabolic traits.Methods In this cross-sectional study, renal sinus fat and parenchyma volumes measured on abdominal MRI were compared between patients and controls using analysis of covariance. Associations of renal parameters with clinical characteristics were analyzed using linear regression analysis.Results A total of 146 participants were enrolled, consisting of 95 type 2 diabetes patients (57.2 +/- 8.8 years, 49.5% male) and 51 controls (54.0 +/- 9.2 years, 43.1% male). Patients with diabetes demonstrated larger sinus fat volumes (15.4 +/- 7.5 cm(3) vs. 10.3 +/- 7.1 cm(3), p < 0.001) and sinus fat-parenchyma ratio than controls. In the total population, renal sinus fat was positively associated with HbA1c, abdominal VAT, cholesterol and triglycerides, after adjustment for age, sex, ethnicity and type 2 diabetes. In type 2 diabetes patients, increased sinus fat volume was significantly associated with urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio.Conclusion Renal sinus fat volume is positively associated with several metabolic risk factors including HbA1c level and urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio in type 2 diabetes patients, indicating a potential role of renal sinus fat in the development of diabetic nephropathy. Future studies are needed to investigate whether sinus fat volume can serve as an early biomarker for diabetic nephropathy. Show less
Background and aims: Several studies have shown that glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP1) analogues can affect resting energy expenditure, and preclinical studies suggest that they may activate brown... Show moreBackground and aims: Several studies have shown that glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP1) analogues can affect resting energy expenditure, and preclinical studies suggest that they may activate brown adipose tissue (BAT). The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of treatment with liraglutide on energy metabolism and BAT fat fraction in patients with type 2 diabetes.Methods and results: In a 26-week double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 50 patients with type 2 diabetes were randomized to treatment with liraglutide (1.8 mg/day) or placebo added to standard care. At baseline and after treatment for 4, 12 and 26 weeks, we assessed resting energy expenditure (REE) by indirect calorimetry. Furthermore, at baseline and after 26 weeks, we determined the fat fraction in the supraclavicular BAT depot using chemical-shift water-fat MRI at 3T. Liraglutide reduced REE after 4 weeks, which persisted after 12 weeks and tended to be present after 26 weeks (week 26 vs baseline: liraglutide -52 +/- 128 kcal/day; P = 0.071, placebo +44 +/- 144 kcal/day; P = 0.153, between group P = 0.057). Treatment with liraglutide for 26 weeks did not decrease the fat fraction in supraclavicular BAT (-0.4 +/- 1.7%; P = 0.447) compared to placebo (-0.4 +/- 1.4%; P = 0.420; between group P = 0.911).Conclusion: Treatment with liraglutide decreases REE in the first 12 weeks and tends to decrease this after 26 weeks without affecting the fat fraction in the supraclavicular BAT depot. These findings suggest reduction in energy intake rather than an increase in REE to contribute to the liraglutide-induced weight loss. (C) 2020 The Italian Society of Diabetology, the Italian Society for the Study of Atherosclerosis, the Italian Society of Human Nutrition, and the Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Show less
