Emerging Technologies and their Applications in Lipid Compartment Measurement

Steven B. Heymsfield, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University (LSU) System, 6400 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70808, USA. Electronic address: Steven.Heymsfield@pbrc.edu.
Houchun Harry Hu, Phoenix Children's Hospital, Department of Radiology, 1919 East Thomas Road, Phoenix, AZ 85016, USA.
Wei Shen, New York Obesity Research Center, Department of Pediatrics and Institute of Human Nutrition, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA.
Owen Carmichael, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University (LSU) System, 6400 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70808, USA.

Abstract

Non-Communicable diseases (NCDs), including obesity, are emerging as the major health concern of the 21st century. Excess adiposity and related NCD metabolic disturbances have stimulated development of new lipid compartment measurement technologies to help us to understand cellular energy exchange, to refine phenotypes, and to develop predictive markers of adverse clinical outcomes. Recent advances now allow quantification of multiple intracellular lipid and adipose tissue compartments that can be evaluated across the human lifespan. With magnetic resonance methods leading the way, newer approaches will give molecular structural and metabolic information beyond the laboratory in real-world settings. The union between these new technologies and the growing NCD population is creating an exciting interface in advancing our understanding of chronic disease mechanisms.