Effects of a High-Fat Diet on Multiple Organ Systems in Mice: A MRI and MRS Study

Sabrina Doblas¹, Philippe Garteiser¹, Joanna DeMoe¹, Tim Griffin¹, Luke Szweda¹, Rheal Towner¹

Magnetic resonance imaging is an in vivo imaging technique well adapted to measure and localize body fat contents and study obesity. Twenty-week old mice fed a high-fat or a normal diet were assessed on a 7 Tesla MRI system. Whole body, cardiac and knee joint images as well as cardiac 1H spectra were obtained and processed to assess the effects of a high-fat diet on adipose tissue distribution, joint damage and cardiac function. Fat mice had larger hearts, larger knee fat pads and fatter cardiac tissue than the lean animals.