DXA Scan: The Gold Standard of Body Composition
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When it comes to understanding your body’s health, many of us are familiar with body fat percentages or body mass index (BMI) as a standard measure. Many people mistakenly believe these numbers are all they need to know about their body composition.
However, body composition involves more than a single number or percentage, it’s about understanding specific health-impacting factors like visceral fat and bone density, which a regular scale can’t measure. With multiple measurement methods available, a DXA Scan is set apart as the most accurate way to capture these critical health metrics.
A DXA “DEXA” Scan, or dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, is a quick scan using two different X-ray beams. This non-invasive test is commonly used to assess bone density and measures the amounts of bone, fat and muscle in your body.
It’s commonly used as a method for monitoring osteoporosis or bone density, but it’s great for understanding your body’s overall composition. The DXA Scan is a precise measurement of your body composition with 1-2% margin of error, making it the most accurate method of body composition scanning available.
The scan itself takes only 10 minutes. As you lie on the scanning table, the machine’s arm moves up and down a foot above you, while the table stays stationary.
A bathroom scale is a common fixture in most households, giving a quick weight snapshot and potentially peace of mind. However, while it may feel reassuring to check your weight regularly, the scale’s reliability can be misleading. With limited information and inconsistencies in measurement, bathroom scales can’t always be trusted.
Scales have a high margin of error and depend on several factors to provide accurate results. As they became more advanced, scales started to provide metrics like body fat percentage, water weight and muscle mass. All of these metrics are only estimates or equations used with limited reliability or accuracy. Entering your height and stepping on the scale will not produce detailed results for your unique physiology.
For example, BMI, a metric often displayed on scale readings is simply an equation of your weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. It does not account for muscle mass, body fat and other factors that impact your body composition. So, someone who is physically healthy with above average muscle mass will be considered overweight in their BMI reading as it values fat and muscle mass equally.
A DXA Scan will give you insights and metrics that tell a full and accurate story of body composition. By measuring bone density, muscle and fat mass you get a detailed breakdown of what is going on inside of your body. A DXA Scan is an empowering tool for you to take control of your health.
Whether you’re an advanced athlete or simply tracking changes in your body over time, the insights from a DXA Scan are invaluable. As the gold standard in body composition measurement, a DXA Scan provides highly detailed and essential information about your body.
A common reason to get a DXA Scan is to assess your bone density, which can vary from person to person. One important concern is osteoporosis, a disease that weakens bones, making them more prone to fractures. Often called the “silent disease”, osteoporosis progresses without noticeable symptoms, so low bone density can go undetected until a break occurs.
Osteoporosis is very common, with an estimated 54 million people in the United States being diagnosed or at risk. It affects almost half of adults aged 50 and older and affects women more frequently than men for a variety of reasons. The number of physicians in the United States offering DXA Scans has fallen by 26 percent since 2008, which leaves people unaware of their low bone density, leading to an increase in fractures and bone problems that go unchecked, especially in active individuals.
The most accurate way to measure body mass is by doing a DXA Scan. This assessment will give you a variety of information including fat mass, lean mass, subcutaneous fat and visceral fat. All of these measurements can be segmented, meaning you’ll receive data on every part of your body individually.
Unlike estimation-based methods like bioelectrical impedance or skinfold measurements, DXA directly measures body composition with precision, clearly differentiating between fat and lean mass.
It’s important to know the distinction between subcutaneous and visceral fat. Subcutaneous fat is the fat underneath the skin, which is visible, and you can feel. But the most dangerous fat, visceral, is the fat stored around the organs, which most scales or body composition tests won’t detect.
Everyone has some level of visceral fat, as it also functions to protect the organs. However, too much fat around your organs has serious effects and can lead to heart disease, metabolic diseases and other life-threatening conditions. Since you can’t see this type of fat with the naked eye, getting a DXA Scan to measure and assess visceral fat can be life-changing.
An often-overlooked benefit of a DXA Scan is the precise measurement of physical symmetry. This includes assessing fat and lean mass distribution, identifying body imbalances and comparing bone density on both sides of the body. By analyzing and comparing muscle and fat distribution on each side of the body, DXA Scans help detect imbalances, whether from injury, posture or lifestyle habits.
Physical symmetry is crucial for everyone, as imbalances can lead to misalignment and strain, increasing the risk of injury, especially in your joints, spine and muscles. Monitoring these metrics allows individuals to address and correct asymmetries, improving overall physical health, enhancing athletic performance and preventing long-term health issues.
Before your DXA Scan, our physiologists will meet with you to discuss your body composition goals and address any questions or concerns you may have. At Human Powered Health, we use high-precision, top-of-the-line technology to provide a superior level of service and quality in body composition testing.
After your DXA Scan, processing all the information can feel overwhelming, but we’re here to help simplify the results. Our team, staffed with Master’s and Ph.D. level performance physiologists will guide you through every detail, helping you understand your results and suggesting actionable steps to optimize your body composition.
At Human Powered Health, we go beyond providing individual metrics from your DXA Scan. Our team will break down every data point in detail, helping you understand what each measurement means for your health. You’ll leave with specific results on your body composition and an actionable plan to improve those metrics. If you’d like to discover your true body composition, click here to book your DXA Scan.
Now you know that a DXA Scan provides an unparalleled, in-depth view of body composition, far beyond what traditional scales or BMI calculations can reveal. By accurately measuring bone density, fat distribution, lean mass and physical symmetry, DXA Scans offer critical insights that are essential for proactive health management.
With this detailed information, you can better understand your body’s unique composition, helping to identify risks such as low bone density, excess visceral fat or muscular imbalances that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Whether your goal is to improve overall health, enhance athletic performance or monitor aging-related changes, the precision of a DXA Scan equips you with actionable data, paving the way for informed decisions that support long-term wellness. Because knowledge is power, and True Health is Self-Made.
