Why DEXA?
Common alternative methods, such as BMI, Bioimpedance, Bod Pod, and hydrostatic weighing, are often used incorrectly as a surrogate for body composition health. But they can be dangerously misleading.
For example, if you have a BMI of 25 kg/m2, you may have a body fat percentage anywhere from 10-35 percent. If you use other alternative methods, you may see a margin of error range from 5 to 15%.
Whereas as a DEXA scan’s accuracy and precision ranges from a 1 to 2 percent margin of error, it also provides additional information that BMI and alternative testing methods cannot, including:
Visceral Adipose Tissue (VAT), which is leading predictor of longevity, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease
Skeletal strength, your risk for osteoporosis, and how you compare to others like you
Muscle symmetry to identify how your lean, fat, and bone mass compares in each region of your body
“Skinny fat” and sarcopenia risks, which has been found to be an important predictor of cognitive performance