The traditional way of monitoring your weight includes getting on a scale and seeing a number appear in pounds or kilograms. BMI was developed as a way to get a better idea of a person’s body mass index using a person’s weight and height. While it has been used for over a hundred years, emerging evidence suggests that BMI is not an accurate measurement of health and body weight, especially for people who want to monitor their progress when trying to lose excess weight.

The DEXA scan has started to become a trending option for those who want to get an idea of their overall health. This scan was created to determine bone mass, but even celebrities like Kim Kardashian have shared their positive experience with the scan for more than just understanding the well-being of their bones. Now that Hollywood is embracing DEXA scans, it’s becoming more accessible and popular. In this article, we explore what it is and what you can expect.

DEXA Scans Being Embraced By Hollywood

In 2022, Kim Kardashian decided to share an image of her and a scan that she had undergone. It was the results of her DEXA scan, which showed her bone density and body fat, along with other details that she used to get a better understanding of herself.

Another celebrity who shared her experience with DEXA scan was Gwyneth Paltrow. After suffering a bone fracture, she discovered that she had a condition called osteopenia. She then decided to undergo a DEXA scan and was open about her experience, even sharing the details on her official website.

The fact that these celebrities shared their results with millions of followers created more awareness of the DEXA scan. It also inspired people to learn more about these scans as a way of understanding how they could use it for themselves. Hollywood is embracing these scans as a health measurement and a monitoring tool, and many others are discovering the benefits.

What is a DEXA Scan?

Simply seeing a celebrity share something that could become a trend doesn’t mean you should automatically “buy in.” Instead, always make sure you have a good understanding of what it is.

Fortunately, this time, these celebrities have shared something that is a true breakthrough in the medical industry. DEXA scans have been around for a long time, but the way that they are used has been changing.

These scans are sometimes referred to as a DXA scan. Both DEXA and DXA are short for Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. It’s a technique developed to take pictures of the inside of your body. The DEXA device uses two different X-ray beams. They don’t have the same energy levels, and when these beams are aimed at your bones, they help create a visual representation of your body.

Soft tissue absorption is removed from the images, which then allows a doctor to see your bone mineral density. However, while the test provides a good overview of your bones, it also provides details about your lean and fat mass.

Using DEXA Scans to Monitor Your Progress

When you opt for a DEXA scan the first time, it helps you create a baseline. At your first scan, you get an initial image of your bone density, lean, and fat masses.

This initial baseline gives you a good idea about your current health, as it dives into much more than what BMI does. Essentially, you get a full picture of your body.

Following the first scan, you can get subsequent scans as a way to monitor the progress of health programs you are following. For example, you may notice on your baseline scan that you have a high body fat percentage. You then decide to make lifestyle changes, such as eating healthier and you start to exercise more often.

At your next scan, you don’t have to rely on a BMI figure to understand your progress. You get a full overview of the progress you’ve made by focusing on your body fat percentage specifically.

Many people may end up gaining lean mass as they start to exercise more. Your DEXA scan results will take this into consideration. It’s going to show you the improvements in your lean mass and give you the ability to see if your fat mass has gone down.

Apart from getting a whole-body overview, you’ll also be able to see how fat and lean mass are distributed throughout your body. With this kind of data, you can make changes to your workout programs to target areas with more fat. The breakdown of your body composition can also be used to determine whether there’s a need to be concerned about high amounts of visceral fat, which is considered to be particularly dangerous.

There are also studies that back up tclaims that have been made about DEXA scans, especially when using them as a fitness indication. One study, for example, found that the measurements in terms of your body composition (fat, lean, bone mass) are incredibly accurate.

Conclusion

As DEXA scans become more widely accepted as a more accurate measurement of body composition than BMI and a scale, more people are turning to this imaging system. It takes mere minutes to complete and has been done by famous figures. Understanding what to expect, however, is an important element before you decide if it’s the right test for you.

References

https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/news/publications/health-matters/is-bmi-accurate

https://people.com/health/kim-kardashian-gets-full-body-scan-shares-lowered-body-fat-percentage/

https://www.topdoctors.co.uk/medical-articles/shining-a-light-on-osteoporosis

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6750624/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6750624/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC419497/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5659281/