Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33994541›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of obesity (2005)2021

Untargeted metabolomics reveals plasma metabolites predictive of ectopic fat in pancreas and liver as assessed by magnetic resonance imaging: the TOFI_Asia study.

Zhanxuan E Wu, Karl Fraser, Marlena C Kruger, Ivana R Sequeira, Wilson Yip, Louise W Lu, Lindsay D Plank, Rinki Murphy, Garth J S Cooper, Jean-Charles Martin and 2 more

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of obesity (2005), 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
12citing papers in PubMed
2.3field-weighted citation impact, top 11% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

12 citing papers in PubMed, 17 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Leveraging Multiomic Signatures to Predict Body Composition.Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.

Zhanxuan E WuFood Nutrition & Health, Food and Bio-based Products, AgResearch Limited, Palmerston North, New Zealand.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1896-0221
Karl FraserFood Nutrition & Health, Food and Bio-based Products, AgResearch Limited, Palmerston North, New Zealand. karl.fraser@agresearch.co.nz.
Marlena C KrugerSchool of Health Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
Ivana R SequeiraHigh-Value Nutrition National Science Challenge, Auckland, New Zealand.
Wilson YipHigh-Value Nutrition National Science Challenge, Auckland, New Zealand.
Louise W LuHigh-Value Nutrition National Science Challenge, Auckland, New Zealand.
Lindsay D PlankDepartment of Surgery, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2737-0151
Rinki MurphyHigh-Value Nutrition National Science Challenge, Auckland, New Zealand.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0043-2423
Garth J S CooperDepartment of Medicine, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Jean-Charles MartinAix-Marseille University, INSERM, INRAe, C2VN, BioMeT, Marseille, France.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2870-0012
Kieren G HollingsworthTranslational and Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
Sally D PoppittHigh-Value Nutrition National Science Challenge, Auckland, New Zealand.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2214-8378
University of Auckland · NZAgResearch · NZInserm · FRNewcastle University · GBRiddet Institute · NZ

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundExcess visceral obesity and ectopic organ fat is associated with increased risk of cardiometabolic disease. However, circulating markers for early detection of ectopic fat, particularly pancreas and liver, are lacking.

methodsLipid storage in pancreas, liver, abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) from 68 healthy or pre-diabetic Caucasian and Chinese women enroled in the TOFI_Asia study was assessed by magnetic resonance imaging/spectroscopy (MRI/S). Plasma metabolites were measured with untargeted liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy (LC-MS). Multivariate partial least squares (PLS) regression identified metabolites predictive of VAT/SAT and ectopic fat; univariate linear regression adjusting for potential covariates identified individual metabolites associated with VAT/SAT and ectopic fat; linear regression adjusted for ethnicity identified clinical and anthropometric correlates for each fat depot.

resultsPLS identified 56, 64 and 31 metabolites which jointly predicted pancreatic fat (R2Y = 0.81, Q2 = 0.69), liver fat (RY2 = 0.8, Q2 = 0.66) and VAT/SAT ((R2Y = 0.7, Q2 = 0.62)) respectively. Among the PLS-identified metabolites, none of them remained significantly associated with pancreatic fat after adjusting for all covariates. Dihydrosphingomyelin (dhSM(d36:0)), 3 phosphatidylethanolamines, 5 diacylglycerols (DG) and 40 triacylglycerols (TG) were associated with liver fat independent of covariates. Three DGs and 12 TGs were associated with VAT/SAT independent of covariates. Notably, comparison with clinical correlates showed better predictivity of ectopic fat by these PLS-identified plasma metabolite markers.

conclusionsUntargeted metabolomics identified candidate markers of visceral and ectopic fat that improved fat level prediction over clinical markers. Several plasma metabolites were associated with level of liver fat and VAT/SAT ratio independent of age, total and visceral adiposity, whereas pancreatic fat deposition was only associated with increased sulfolithocholic acid independent of adiposity-related parameters, but not age.

Indexed as

BiomarkersIntra-Abdominal FatAdultAgedFemaleHumansLeast-Squares AnalysisLiverMagnetic Resonance ImagingMetabolomeMetabolomicsMiddle AgedPancreasYoung AdultBiomarkers

Identifiers

PMID33994541
PMCPMC8310794
OpenAlexW3161869899

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.