A DEXA Scan Is One of the Best Tests for Health and Performance
If you're serious about optimizing your health, longevity, or athletic performance, a DEXA scan is one of the most valuable diagnostic tools available to you. Why? Because numerous studies show that more muscle mass = a longer life and better strength, balance, and endurance… and these lead to better athletic performance now and greater independence in aging.
Most doctors seeing their patients order lab tests that provide only a minimal to moderate impact on long-term health risk, while critical functional assessments—like VO₂ max testing, strength testing, and DEXA scans—are rarely performed. Yet these metrics are among the strongest predictors of your future health, physical function, and resilience.
A DEXA scan, in particular, delivers one of the most accurate and actionable assessments of your body composition—which is far more meaningful than weight or BMI alone when it comes to health optimization.
1. It Accurately Measures Fat and Muscle Distribution
A scale tells you one thing… your weight. But, what we CARE ABOUT is body composition. Even advanced bioimpedance devices are rough estimates. A DEXA scan gives you a precise, validated measurement of:
Total body fat percentage
Lean mass (muscle)
Fat mass (and where it’s located)
Visceral fat (the most dangerous kind)
DEXA is the GOLD STANDARD test to evaluate regional fat and muscle mass—for example, if you're losing muscle in your legs or accumulating fat in your abdomen. That’s critical information whether you're:
Trying to improve metabolic health
Enhancing athletic performance
Preventing sarcopenia and age-related muscle loss
2. It Tells You If You’re Losing Fat or Muscle
Weight loss alone can be misleading. Many people who lose weight are actually losing a significant amount of muscle—especially if they’re under-eating protein, focusing on cardio, or on a weight loss medication. DEXA scans allow us to accurately monitor:
Are you preserving or building muscle?
Is fat loss coming from the right places (e.g., visceral fat)?
Are you headed toward metabolic improvement or damage?
3. It Measures Visceral Fat—A Silent Killer
Visceral fat surrounds your organs and dramatically increases the risk of:
Heart disease
Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes
Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease
Inflammation and hormone disruption
DEXA is the best way to quantify visceral fat. Even lean people can have high visceral fat—especially those who are “skinny fat” or have poor metabolic flexibility.
4. It Tracks the Things that Actually Matter
Because muscle mass is a stronger predictor of lifespan and functional aging than weight or BMI, knowing how much muscle you have—and where—is key. Studies consistently show:
Muscle mass predicts survival better than BMI in older adults (Srikanthan et al., Am J Med, 2014)
Low muscle and bone density are major risk factors for frailty, falls, fractures, and dependency
Whether you're 30 and trying to optimize athletic performance, or 60 and planning for the next 30 years, muscle is medicine.
5. DEXA Also Measures Bone Density (Yes, That Still Matters)
Even if you're not at risk for osteoporosis now, baseline bone density is critical to track—especially for:
Athletes with low body fat or history of amenorrhea
Anyone on thyroid medication or corticosteroids
Patients doing fasting, restrictive diets, or losing weight
Postmenopausal women
Strong bones are foundational for mobility, injury prevention, and longevity.
Who Should Consider a DEXA Scan?
You should absolutely consider a DEXA scan if you:
Are over 40 and want a clearer picture of your healthspan trajectory
Are working on body recomposition (fat loss and/or muscle gain)
Have a family history of osteoporosis, diabetes, or cardiovascular disease
Take medications that affect bone, muscle, or fat metabolism
Are using weight loss medications and want to avoid muscle loss
Want to quantify progress beyond the scale
How Often Should You Get One?
Most people benefit from repeating a DEXA scan every 6–12 months, depending on their goals and interventions. For athletes or those in a structured health optimization plan, more frequent scans (every 3–6 months) can provide key data to guide nutrition, training, and recovery strategies. And you don’t need to be concerned about radiation from the test. The tiny radiation dose is less than a day’s worth of natural background radiation just from living on Earth.
You Can’t Improve What You Don’t Measure
The scale and BMI were never good tools for health optimization. A DEXA scan gives you the real numbers that matter—muscle, fat, bone, and where they’re all located. That makes it one of the best early indicators of health risks and one of the most powerful tools to guide your transformation.
If you’re serious about extending your healthspan and performance, schedule a DEXA scan. It’s one of the smartest investments you can make in your body—and your future.