Anyone done the DEXA scan?

emcdermott85
emcdermott85 Posts: 34 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all,
Has anyone done a DEXA scan? what does it tell you? is it worth doing?

Thanks

Replies

  • LongIsland27itl
    LongIsland27itl Posts: 365 Member
    I left a message with a local nutritionist who does these scans but haven't heard back yet, I can't wait to doit.
    It gives you a very accurate body composition analysis, how much weight muscle/fat/bone.

    I want to done ASAP, then when I'm done dieting I want to do another one and check how much fat/muscle I lost, then when I bulk I can do another to keep track and not gain fat while trying to gain muscle
  • dondimitri
    dondimitri Posts: 245 Member
    I've had it done for a bone density test. i.e. a check for osteoporosis. I don't know if it has other uses.
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
    About how much does it cost to get it done? I've never done it, obviously, but have been curious. I've heard that it costs a lot though.
  • dondimitri
    dondimitri Posts: 245 Member
    It was ordered by my doctor as part of the annual physical. Most or all was covered by insurance. I don't recall any numbers, it was about 3 years ago.

    I was borderline osteopenia back then but I've changed my diet and exercise, taking calcium, vit D, etc.

    Maybe I can get another one on my next physical and see if all that has made a difference in my bone density.
  • kazsjourney
    kazsjourney Posts: 263 Member
    I have had one done. I am in australia so costs are prolly slightly different here. For me it cost $150 for the scan and also for a 15 minute consultation. The reason i got it done is i have lost 180 pounds and I wanted a accurate measurement of my bodyfat (altho nothing is 100% accurate) and also wanted to find out how much they expected my excess skin weighed. It made me realise I was a lot more healthier then I realised. I definitely recommend it for someone in my situation as the excess skin can hide how healthy your body is in underneath. I liked too that it gave me what it believes is a "ideal weight" for me. Also you can get it done here for $85 for the scan by itself with no consultation they just print out then your results.
  • julialdr
    julialdr Posts: 100 Member
    I've started having them done earlier this year and will have them every 3-4 months. I found it really helpful for me as I haven't lost any weight... in fact I've actually gained a bit! The Dexa scan lets me see that I'm losing fat but also gaining a bit of muscle so while my weight isn't changing, my body composition is. If I didn't have Dexa scans done I probably would have gotten frustrated and given up by now!
  • louloulou
    louloulou Posts: 64 Member
    I have one every few years as was diagnosed with osteoporosis in my early 20s (so a decade ago). The only thing I find out is my bone density but reading this thread, I am thinking I may ask my body fat on my next one :bigsmile:
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    I've had it done for a bone density test. i.e. a check for osteoporosis. I don't know if it has other uses.

    People get them to check bone density, as well as body fat percent.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    yep, had a few. Good to get an accurate measurement tracking device used every now and again.

    For me, it cost $200AU for 4 scans.
  • astrovivi
    astrovivi Posts: 183 Member
    I've had a few done also.
    No method is "accurate" but if you use the same method and done by the same place over a number of them, the relative changes are really good guides.

    I paid $180 for a package of three.

    It was recommended to me to have them done no more frequently than every 6 months to track real progress.

    i have found them to be really useful tools.
    Don't look at the BF percentages. The key is to look at where you are at in terms of actual fat free mass, bone and fat mass in kg.
    The percentages on their own tell you very little as they obviously mask what is going on.
  • julialdr
    julialdr Posts: 100 Member
    Don't look at the BF percentages. The key is to look at where you are at in terms of actual fat free mass, bone and fat mass in kg.
    The percentages on their own tell you very little as they obviously mask what is going on.

    I don't get what you're saying by not looking at the BF%. and only look at the FFM. If someone has 20% BF, that's a lot better than 40%...

    BF% on Dexa scans can be a bit misleading for some people. Most people have BF% checked using caliper testing etc which assumes you have an average level of fat free mass. For anyone who is outside that 'normal' range a dexa scan will show a drastically different number. For example, I had my BF% tested before having a dexa scan and was told I had about 25% fat. The dexa scan then said I was 31% fat!!!! This is because I was quite underweight in lean mass so a healthy kg of fat was actually a very high % on my body. The Dr I go to agrees not to put too much stock into the BF% (I do anyway)... he says to pay attention to the amount (kg) of fat/lean you have instead.

    Hope that helps!
  • dondimitri
    dondimitri Posts: 245 Member
    BF% on Dexa scans can be a bit misleading for some people. Most people have BF% checked using caliper testing etc which assumes you have an average level of fat free mass. For anyone who is outside that 'normal' range a dexa scan will show a drastically different number. For example, I had my BF% tested before having a dexa scan and was told I had about 25% fat. The dexa scan then said I was 31% fat!!!! This is because I was quite underweight in lean mass so a healthy kg of fat was actually a very high % on my body.

    I'm having trouble following your logic here... is there such a thing as a "healthy kg of fat" ?

    I think I'd trust a Dexa scan reading ahead of a caliper based determination. Caliper based testing is notoriously inaccurate.
  • jdub1011
    jdub1011 Posts: 27 Member
    DEXA or DXA (Dual Energy X-ray Absorpiometry) is used primarily to measure bone density in patients at risk for osteoporosis. However, the software also calculates muscle and fat percentages. For body fat % it is considered much more accurate that caliper or underwater weighing methods. The cost varies, but averages around $100. I wish I would have had one before I started my workout program 2 years ago. I've lost 28 lbs and gained muscle mass, but would like to know how much fat was lost and muscle gained. DEXA is used by many professional teams and Olympic athletes.
  • emcdermott85
    emcdermott85 Posts: 34 Member
    Ok, I'm getting the DEXA scan on Saturday! Apparently they will tell me how much mucle mass and fat I'm carrying. I'll post to let everyone know how it went. Can't wait!
  • MisterDerpington
    MisterDerpington Posts: 604 Member
    I've read it's not as accurate for trying to find out about the body fat people care about (for appearance) since the percentage includes the fats in the liver and other internal organs.
  • larsensue
    larsensue Posts: 461 Member
    How is the scan administered? where can you get it done in Canada?
  • Arleigh7
    Arleigh7 Posts: 150 Member
    I have had the DEXA scan done 2x and about to do my 3rd. I did it when I weighed around 245 and again at 215 and will do it again at 195.

    It's really cool. It gives you a full body color scan of your body and shows where your fat and muscle are bodypart by bodypart. So you can see how much is in your arms, legs, trunk etc. It also shows how much fat you have in your mid section and the internal fat around your internal organs that's the really bad stuff to have.

    I'm in the SF Bay Area and the individual Scan was $80 each but I bought a package of 3 for a decent discount. You can't wear anything metal when they do it and it takes like 10 minutes. Very low level radiation. It also will give you a good indication of your bone density.

    I found it super informative and it has really helped me change my goal weight since I have a clear picture of my body fat vs muscle mass. I highly Recommend it
  • emcdermott85
    emcdermott85 Posts: 34 Member
    Ok everyone, I had the DEXA scan on saturday. I'm in Australia (Newcastle) and had it done by a company called MeasureUp, they have a mobile truck that travels around as well as clinic in sydney. I found the scan extremely helpful. I highly recommend having it done. It cost $99 but that is reasonbale for what you get.

    On the day you get printouts showing where the fat / muscle is distributed on your body, they tell you how much lean muscle mass you have (in my case alot), how much your skelton weighs and how much fat you have. They also give you your body fat % and tell you how much fat you have around your vital organs (mine was fine as i carry the fat on my arms and legs). It was well worth doing, because I have alot of lean muscle mass I don't have as much fat to lose as i thought. The usual BMI for me says that 74kg would be the top of a healthy weight range, the DEXA scan tells me that is not the case, in fact 82.5kg would be the top of a 'healthy' (25% body fat) weight range for me.

    Measure Up also email you some additional results, in which they tell you what a healthy weight range is for you, how many calories you need to eat to lose fat but maintain the lean muscle mass and even down to the grams of carbohydrates, protein and fat you should eat everyday (for losing fat but not the muscle). It was very helpful! I'm going to have it done again in December to see how i've progressed. :)
  • peacemongernc
    peacemongernc Posts: 253 Member
    The usual BMI for me says that 74kg would be the top of a healthy weight range, the DEXA scan tells me that is not the case, in fact 82.5kg would be the top of a 'healthy' (25% body fat) weight range for me.

    Are you around 5' 7"ish?
  • kazsjourney
    kazsjourney Posts: 263 Member
    I had mine done by measure up too but at pitt street. They gave my ideal weight between 78.9 and 80.9 kilos. My lean mass was very high too and altho still 89-90 kilos my body fat % is only 27.6%. I am 5"9 :)
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    I've read it's not as accurate for trying to find out about the body fat people care about (for appearance) since the percentage includes the fats in the liver and other internal organs.

    Really? I'd be fairly interested to know if I had a lot of visceral fat considering it is one of the main contributing factors to many life threatening diseases.

    emcdermott85: Sounds good and sounds like you learnt a thing or 2 :smile: I think they are worth while for anyone who is serious about health and fitness.
  • kazsjourney
    kazsjourney Posts: 263 Member
    They actually give the visceral fat as a individual value.
  • LongIsland27itl
    LongIsland27itl Posts: 365 Member
    The only guy ny me that does it says its mot dor nody fat and is trying to tell me hos bio impedoance is kore accurate.
    Back to dinding a scanner aeound LI or NYC. anyone know if the radia is pretty harsh like a regular xray.?
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    I've read it's not as accurate for trying to find out about the body fat people care about (for appearance) since the percentage includes the fats in the liver and other internal organs.

    These people want to look good on the mortuary table ?
  • sam308lbs
    sam308lbs Posts: 1,936 Member
    i had it done twice 12 weeks apart
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  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    anyone know if the radia is pretty harsh like a regular xray.?

    The Radiation is low dose but because its low does is more readily absorbed by the skin. A standard Dexa is about the same Radiation as 2 Chest X rays. I wouldn't have one or let a member of my family but I'm a Qualified Radiographer (who has worked with DEXA scanning for oesteoporosis) who has dealt with x rays for years and have always gone on the Mantra there is no such thing as a good dose of Radiation. Having an x ray examination (which a Dexa is) for no real diagnostic reason (the reason people have them for body fat is more out of interest) is a pointless risk in my opinion.
  • LeanButNotMean44
    LeanButNotMean44 Posts: 852 Member
    I have had 2 Dexas now, and I love how the report breaks the percentages/numbers up by regions (arms, legs, trunk, etc.). The Android (mid-section)/Gynoid (lower body) ratio was emphasized to me as a really important reading because it does measure visceral fat. I was extremely pleased with the results, because it reinforced that what I am doing really is working. :happy:
  • wwwdotcr
    wwwdotcr Posts: 128 Member
    Don't look at the BF percentages. The key is to look at where you are at in terms of actual fat free mass, bone and fat mass in kg.
    The percentages on their own tell you very little as they obviously mask what is going on.

    I don't get what you're saying by not looking at the BF%. and only look at the FFM. If someone has 20% BF, that's a lot better than 40%...

    BF% on Dexa scans can be a bit misleading for some people. Most people have BF% checked using caliper testing etc which assumes you have an average level of fat free mass. For anyone who is outside that 'normal' range a dexa scan will show a drastically different number. For example, I had my BF% tested before having a dexa scan and was told I had about 25% fat. The dexa scan then said I was 31% fat!!!! This is because I was quite underweight in lean mass so a healthy kg of fat was actually a very high % on my body. The Dr I go to agrees not to put too much stock into the BF% (I do anyway)... he says to pay attention to the amount (kg) of fat/lean you have instead.

    Hope that helps!

    Sorry to burst the bubble, but body fat is body fat. You get the DEXA scan so you can have a very accurate LBM reading in which you base your macros on. Doesn't matter if its fat around your organs or "visible" fat. When you work out, it will burn both.

    This is by far the most accurate reading with a margin of error plus minus 2%, and is a reality check for most people. Calipers aren't very accurate nor weight scales.

    Reference: My scale said 13.6% when my actual DEXA verified bf was 23.7% in April.
  • mad4beinhere
    mad4beinhere Posts: 63 Member
    So glad i looked at your post, I have been thinking of getting a scan done.
    Have you had another scan done since this one in June 2013?

    Just going to find MeasureUp now and make an appointment, again thanks for posting.
  • Railabs
    Railabs Posts: 1
    I actually run DEXA scans. We charge $150 for the scan alone and $250 for the scan plus a coaching session afterward to help you set up a solid diet and fitness plan. We also do VO2 Max testing for $250 and a package deal of DEXA and VO2 for $375. The DEXA is a great tool and I highly recommend it! Not only does it give you accurate body fat %, but it also gives you regional fat, lean muscle mass, overall bone mineral density, and bone mineral density in the spine and femurs.

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