RSNA 2025 Imaging the Individual

Take a look at the latest discoveries in medical imaging research, education and technology that will be presented at RSNA 2025.

More Muscle, Less Belly Fat Slows Brain Aging

A specific body profile—higher muscle mass combined with a lower visceral fat to muscle ratio—tracks with a younger brain age. Examining 1,164 healthy participants with whole-body MRI, researchers at Washington University’s Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology quantified total normalized muscle volume, visceral fat (hidden belly fat), subcutaneous fat (fat under the skin) and brain age—the computational estimate of chronological age from a structural MRI scan of the brain. They found that participants with more muscle tended to have “younger”-looking brains, while those with more hidden belly fat relative to their muscle had “older”-looking brains. Subcutaneous fat, however, had no association with brain age. Building muscle and reducing visceral fat are actionable goals, and whole-body MRI and brain-age estimates can help provide achievable targets for muscle-building and fat-reducing programs and therapies.