Dexascan and BMR Testing in US?

yirara

I'll be travelling to the US later this year and I consider getting a dexa scan and BMR test. Those are not available in the UK at all apart from one clinic in London (requires a flight) asking a shitload of money for it. With regards to the dexa scan, I'm interested in body composition, but also the state of my bones as I think I might have been deficient in calcium for a while. My GP won't refer me.

So:
dexa scan: what can be done and how reliable is it?
BMR testing: does it work? What methodology is best and which doesn't work? Or is it all woo?
Generally1: how long does such testing take? Those clinics only seem to be open during daytime, and I'm at a conference then
Generally2: are there recommended clinics for this? I'll be in central Salt Lake City.

Thanks

nowine4me

My DEXA took less than 30 mins. Never had a BMR test.

yirara

nowine4me wrote: »

My DEXA took less than 30 mins. Never had a BMR test.

Thanks a lot. Can you tell me what was included, thus what the result looked like? I know I'll never get such a test again if I don't have one in SLC, but the question is whether it makes sense.

sgt1372

I have gotten DEXA scans done in the SF Bay Area using a mobile service provider, which only charges $45 for BF testing. The tests only take about 15 mins. They also do RMR rports but there is basic caloric info already provided in the DXA report.

Never paid for an RMR report. So, I don't know whether that's actually a separate test or just a separate report rendered from the same scan that you pay extra for.

There is a similar DXA mobile service provixer in Salt Lake called DEXA BODY.

They are open all day at an Orange Theory box from 6am to 830pm. They charge a little more than my provider but they do both RMR and BF testing for $57 & $67, repectively.

See: http://dexabody.com/pricing.html

There may be other such providers in Salt Lake but I did not search for others. You can of course do that yourself if you think it's necessary.

You can see an example of a "DEXA report" by just Googling those words. Just let your fingers do the walking.

CyberTone

I got a package of DEXA ($129), RMR ($99), and VO2Max ($149) individual retail done last August for $300 in Washington DC in the same building as the DC convention center. The company is regional but there are plenty of companies around the country. Search the internet for Composition ID which is where I went, they have sample reports and FAQs on their web site.

The DEXA scan was lying still on a table for 15 minutes while being scanned by a GE Lunar Prodigy iDXA, RMR was sitting and breathing through a tube for 10 minutes with a KORR MetaCheck, and VO2Max was a choice of cycling or treadmill for about 10-15 minutes while attached by face mask to KORR CardioCoach VO2 tester.

yirara

sgt1372 wrote: »

I have gotten DEXA scans done in the SF Bay Area using a mobile service provider, which only charges $45 for BF testing. The tests only take about 15 mins. They also do RMR rports but there is basic caloric info already provided in the DXA report.

Never paid for an RMR report. So, I don't know whether that's actually a separate test or just a separate report rendered from the same scan that you pay extra for.

There is a similar DXA mobile service provixer in Salt Lake called DEXA BODY.

They are open all day at an Orange Theory box from 6am to 830pm. They charge a little more than my provider but they do both RMR and BF testing for $57 & $67, repectively.

See: http://dexabody.com/pricing.html

There may be other such providers in Salt Lake but I did not search for others. You can of course do that yourself if you think it's necessary.

You can see an example of a "DEXA report" by just Googling those words. Just let your fingers do the walking.

Yes indeed, I saw the Doxa Body company in SLC. That gave me the idea to pursue this in the first place. It might be more expensive what you paid, but to get one in the UK would require a flight to London, and just the Dexa is about $150-200, and if you want an actual report you have to pay extra. So this sounds like a great chance to get one done. Not sure how water weight from the flight influences this, but it might be worth it.

yirara

CyberTone wrote: »

I got a package of DEXA ($129), RMR ($99), and VO2Max ($149) individual retail done last August for $300 in Washington DC in the same building as the DC convention center. The company is regional but there are plenty of companies around the country. Search the internet for Composition ID which is where I went, they have sample reports and FAQs on their web site.

The DEXA scan was lying still on a table for 15 minutes while being scanned by a GE Lunar Prodigy iDXA, RMR was sitting and breathing through a tube for 10 minutes with a KORR MetaCheck, and VO2Max was a choice of cycling or treadmill for about 10-15 minutes while attached by face mask to KORR CardioCoach VO2 tester.

Thanks a lot for your experience. I wonder how reliable the RMR test done this way is. Probably also depends on when you ate last. I'd not be interested in a VO2 max text simply because I need much more time to actually get warm and to provide useful test results. I'd blow this test.

CyberTone

yirara wrote: »

CyberTone wrote: »

I got a package of DEXA ($129), RMR ($99), and VO2Max ($149) individual retail done last August for $300 in Washington DC in the same building as the DC convention center. The company is regional but there are plenty of companies around the country. Search the internet for Composition ID which is where I went, they have sample reports and FAQs on their web site.

The DEXA scan was lying still on a table for 15 minutes while being scanned by a GE Lunar Prodigy iDXA, RMR was sitting and breathing through a tube for 10 minutes with a KORR MetaCheck, and VO2Max was a choice of cycling or treadmill for about 10-15 minutes while attached by face mask to KORR CardioCoach VO2 tester.

Thanks a lot for your experience. I wonder how reliable the RMR test done this way is. Probably also depends on when you ate last. I'd not be interested in a VO2 max text simply because I need much more time to actually get warm and to provide useful test results. I'd blow this test.

The VO2Max test attendant said that however long it took to get to max they would wait. I chose the treadmill, and after a 5 minute warmup the attendant increased the incline every minute. I decided to end it at 15 min, and when I asked if I had reached max, he said, "oh, you reached max at 12 minutes, I thought you just wanted to keep going." Gee thanks.

The FAQs on their site give abstinence requirements for the RMR test: 4 hours for meal, 6 hours for caffeine or nicotine, 12 hours for exercise. https://www.compositionid.com/faq/

sgt1372

yirara wrote: »

sgt1372 wrote: »

I have gotten DEXA scans done in the SF Bay Area using a mobile service provider, which only charges $45 for BF testing. The tests only take about 15 mins. They also do RMR rports but there is basic caloric info already provided in the DXA report.

Never paid for an RMR report. So, I don't know whether that's actually a separate test or just a separate report rendered from the same scan that you pay extra for.

There is a similar DXA mobile service provixer in Salt Lake called DEXA BODY.

They are open all day at an Orange Theory box from 6am to 830pm. They charge a little more than my provider but they do both RMR and BF testing for $57 & $67, repectively.

See: http://dexabody.com/pricing.html

There may be other such providers in Salt Lake but I did not search for others. You can of course do that yourself if you think it's necessary.

You can see an example of a "DEXA report" by just Googling those words. Just let your fingers do the walking.

Yes indeed, I saw the Doxa Body company in SLC. That gave me the idea to pursue this in the first place. It might be more expensive what you paid, but to get one in the UK would require a flight to London, and just the Dexa is about $150-200, and if you want an actual report you have to pay extra. So this sounds like a great chance to get one done. Not sure how water weight from the flight influences this, but it might be worth it.

FWIW, minor water weight variations should not affect DXA scanning results significantly.

According to the following informal "study," drinking 1 gallon of water affected the results of a DXA scan by only 1%.

See: https://www.bodyspec.com/blog/post/will_drinking_water_affect_my_scan

PS: Body Spec is the company that I use for my DXA scans.

yirara

CyberTone wrote: »

yirara wrote: »

CyberTone wrote: »

I got a package of DEXA ($129), RMR ($99), and VO2Max ($149) individual retail done last August for $300 in Washington DC in the same building as the DC convention center. The company is regional but there are plenty of companies around the country. Search the internet for Composition ID which is where I went, they have sample reports and FAQs on their web site.

The DEXA scan was lying still on a table for 15 minutes while being scanned by a GE Lunar Prodigy iDXA, RMR was sitting and breathing through a tube for 10 minutes with a KORR MetaCheck, and VO2Max was a choice of cycling or treadmill for about 10-15 minutes while attached by face mask to KORR CardioCoach VO2 tester.

Thanks a lot for your experience. I wonder how reliable the RMR test done this way is. Probably also depends on when you ate last. I'd not be interested in a VO2 max text simply because I need much more time to actually get warm and to provide useful test results. I'd blow this test.

The VO2Max test attendant said that however long it took to get to max they would wait. I chose the treadmill, and after a 5 minute warmup the attendant increased the incline every minute. I decided to end it at 15 min, and when I asked if I had reached max, he said, "oh, you reached max at 12 minutes, I thought you just wanted to keep going." Gee thanks.

The FAQs on their site give abstinence requirements for the RMR test: 4 hours for meal, 6 hours for caffeine or nicotine, 12 hours for exercise. https://www.compositionid.com/faq/

Yes, that's my problem. My bloodpressure drops as soon as incline/resistance is increased and doesn't come back up unless the resistance is decreased again. So it's very fiddly for me to get a measurement, and I'd have to be at the controls. That won't work.

heybales

yirara wrote: »

CyberTone wrote: »

I got a package of DEXA ($129), RMR ($99), and VO2Max ($149) individual retail done last August for $300 in Washington DC in the same building as the DC convention center. The company is regional but there are plenty of companies around the country. Search the internet for Composition ID which is where I went, they have sample reports and FAQs on their web site.

The DEXA scan was lying still on a table for 15 minutes while being scanned by a GE Lunar Prodigy iDXA, RMR was sitting and breathing through a tube for 10 minutes with a KORR MetaCheck, and VO2Max was a choice of cycling or treadmill for about 10-15 minutes while attached by face mask to KORR CardioCoach VO2 tester.

Thanks a lot for your experience. I wonder how reliable the RMR test done this way is. Probably also depends on when you ate last. I'd not be interested in a VO2 max text simply because I need much more time to actually get warm and to provide useful test results. I'd blow this test.

That is a reliable and correct RMR test - they should have told him not to eat for 5-6 hrs prior - and probably did in the appointment setup.

The traveling outfits that show up at a gym and test anyone willing to pay the "deal" rate are the worthless ones.

yirara

Ok, thanks. Then this won't work for me either. I'm a grazer and 5-6hrs without food is impossible for me. Especially if the first appointment is at 9 and I can only get breakfast until 8:30 because my conference starts at 9.