Curtis L. Johnson1, Mina C. Mojtahedi2,
Diego Hernando3,4, Dimitrios C. Karampinos1,4, Matthew
P. Thorpe2, Danchin Chen1, Ellen M. Evans2,5,
John G. Georgiadis1,4
1Mechanical Science and Engineering
Department, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United
States; 2Division of Nutritional Sciences, University of Illinois
at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States; 3Electrical and
Computer Engineering Department, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,
Urbana, IL, United States; 4Beckman Institute for Advanced Science
and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL,
United States; 5Department of Kinesiology and Community Health,
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
MRI
was used before and after a weight loss intervention investigating the effect
of diet on body composition in obese, older women to quantify changes in
adiposity in the thigh. A two-point
Dixon method was used to separate fat and water images in order to quantify
subcutaneous, intermuscular, and intramuscular fat as well as muscle in the
thigh before and after weight loss for two groups of subjects, one taking a
protein supplement and the other taking a carbohydrate for control. Results showed greater loss of adipose
tissue and retention of muscle for the protein group compared to the control.