Renal fat deposition measured on dixon-based MRI is significantly associated with early kidney damage in obesity

To investigate the renal fat deposition on Dixon-based magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and to explore the predictive value of renal fat biomarkers of magnetic resonance (MR-RFBs) for early kidney damage in obesity. This prospective study included 56 obese volunteers and 47 non-obese healthy volunteers. All volunteers underwent renal magnetic resonance examinations. The differences in MR-RFBs [including renal proton density fat fraction (PDFF), renal sinus fat volume (RSFV), and perirenal fat thickness (PRFT)] measured on Dixon-based MRI between the obese and non-obese volunteers were analyzed using a general linear model, taking sex, age, diabetes, and hypertension as covariates. The relationship between estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and demographic, laboratory, and imaging parameters in obese volunteers was examined by correlation analysis. Obese volunteers had higher MR-RFBs than non-obese volunteers after controlling for confounders (all p < 0.001). Renal PDFF (r = − 0.383; p = 0.004), RSFV (r = − 0.368; p = 0.005), and PRFT (r = − 0.451; p < 0.001) were significantly negatively correlated with eGFR in obesity. After adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, diabetes, hypertension, visceral adipose tissue, subcutaneous adipose tissue, renal PDFF, and RSFV, PRFT remained independently negatively associated with eGFR (β = − 0.587; p = 0.003). All MR-RFBs are negatively correlated with eGFR in obesity. The MR-RFBs, especially PRFT, may have predictive value for early kidney damage in obesity.