〔Abstract〕 To explore the relationship between muscle fat deposition , muscle iron deposition , and glu- cose metabolism in elderly obese patients . Methods Elderly obese patients who visited the outpatient clinic were selected . Oral glucose tolerance tests were performed . Muscle fat and iron deposition in the abdominal wall and pa- raspinal muscles at the L3 vertebra level were quantified using the Dixon technique based on nuclear magnetic reso- nance . Results A total of 140 elderly obese patients were included , among which 46 were newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) , 44 had impaired glucose tolerance (IGR) , and 50 had normal glucose tolerance (NGT) . Compared to NGT and IGR groups , patients with T2DM had significantly increased muscle fat deposition , iron deposition , and visceral fat , while subcutaneous fat was significantly reduced (P < 0. 05) . After adjusting for confounding factors using multivariate logistic regression , muscle fat deposition was identified as an independent risk factor for glucose metabolism disorders : patients with muscle fat≥42. 2% had a 2. 9 times risk of glucose me- tabolism abnormalities compared to those with muscle fat < 42. 2% . Conclusion With the occurrence of glucose metabolism disorders , muscle fat and iron deposition gradually increase in elderly obese patients . Muscle fat depo- sition is an independent risk factor for predicting glucose metabolism abnormalities in elderly obese patients .