Imaging has a growing role in the evaluation of obesity-related disorders and the effects of weight loss, especially given the increasing use of glucagon-like peptide 1 agonists. New imaging biomarkers are emerging. Artificial intelligence applications for automated quantification of body composition underline future capabilities of whole-body MRI to comprehensively assess patients with obesity.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals
Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription
$32.99 / 30 days
cancel any time
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$189.00 per year
only $15.75 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on SpringerLink
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References
GBD 2021 US Obesity Forecasting Collaborators. National-level and state-level prevalence of overweight and obesity among children, adolescents, and adults in the USA, 1990-2021, and forecasts up to 2050. Lancet 404, 2278–2298 (2024).
Uppot, R. N. Technical challenges of imaging & image-guided interventions in obese patients. Br. J. Radiol. 91, 20170931 (2018).
Starekova, J., Hernando, D., Pickhardt, P. J. & Reeder, S. B. Quantification of liver fat content with CT and MRI: state of the art. Radiology 301, 250–262 (2021).
Wagner, R. et al. Metabolic implications of pancreatic fat accumulation. Nat. Rev. Endocrinol. 18, 43–54 (2022).
Powell-Wiley, T. M. et al. Obesity and cardiovascular disease: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation 143, e984–e1010 (2021).
Gandham, A. et al. Falls, fractures, and areal bone mineral density in older adults with sarcopenic obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Obes. Rev. 22, e13187 (2021).
Dolatshahi, M. et al. Alzheimer disease pathology and neurodegeneration in midlife obesity: a pilot study. Aging Dis. 15, 1843–1854 (2024).
Sung, H. et al. Global patterns in excess body weight and the associated cancer burden. CA Cancer J. Clin. 69, 88–112 (2019).
Santhanam, P. et al. Artificial intelligence and body composition. Diabetes Metab. Syndr. 17, 102732 (2023).
Drucker, D. J. Discovery of GLP-1-based drugs for the treatment of obesity. N. Engl. J. Med. 392, 612–615 (2025).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Tordjman, M., Fayad, Z.A., Benzinger, T.L.S. et al. Imaging in patients with obesity: challenges, applications and future directions. Nat Rev Endocrinol 21, 588–590 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-025-01166-0
Published:
Issue date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-025-01166-0