Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have been able to non-invasively measure the amount of fat in the pancreas, using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). According to scientists involved with the study, this is the first time this has been done in the U.S.

It’s a development that could be used to help identify whether or not people are at risk for developing diabetes.

The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, found that overweight and obese participants had high amounts of pancreatic fat. Similarly, those who had pre-diabetes and diabetes had higher amounts of fat in the pancreas.

Traditionally, measuring pancreatic fat was not an easy task, due to the location of the organ.

"These are very early results, but if they hold true, pancreatic MRS would be a fast and noninvasive test to screen people at risk for diabetes either because they’re obese or they have a family history of type 2 diabetes, or metabolic syndrome," said lead author of the study, Dr Ildiko Lingvay. She adds that the next step is to determine whether reducing the amount of fat in the pancreas lowers diabetes risk.

Proper nutrition and maintaining a healthy weight are some possible ways to reduce your risk of developing diabetes.

In addition, nutritional health supplements containing chromium, magnesium and vanadium have been used to treat diabetes, according to WebMD.