Millions of obese and overweight Britons may soon be given a graphic insight into exactly how fat is invading their bodies.
UK Biobank, a government-funded consortium set up to gather detailed genetic and lifestyle data on 100,000 people, is conducting trials of scanners on up to 12,000 men and women to find out how fat is deposited around the body — and how it affects health.
The first research, published to coincide with the new year, when many people embark on diets, confirms that high levels of body fat are strongly linked with diabetes and heart disease. It also shows big variations in the way fat is stored, with the greatest risk in those people where fat builds up around their liver and other organs.