What is Body Composition?

BMI vs Body Composition

BMI, also known as your Body Mass Index, is a measure of body fat based on a person’s height and weight. Essentially it is a person’s weight divided by the square of their height. Your BMI determines if you are underweight, normal, overweight, or obese according to the BMI scale. While the idea behind BMI is an established method, the general practice is misleading as it fails to also consider your age, sex, muscle mass, and bone density. Your BMI is a fair assessment of your body fat levels, but it lacks the insight that a measurement of your body composition can provide. Those with high muscle mass or bone mass may be falsely labeled as obese.

An analysis of your body’s fat and muscle percentages allows you to take a more educated approach to things like weight loss, muscle building, and athletic training. With DXA scans, we can precisely calculate your body composition in a matter of minutes. DXA applications have been described as the Gold Standard for quantifying your muscle and fat measurements and provide comprehensive visualizations of your body.

Why Use DXA for Body Composition?

Weight Tracking: Beginning with an initial body scan, we can help you begin (or continue) your weight loss journey by accurately pinpointing the locations in your body that have the most fat. While the scale is a general assessment of your weight, it can’t decipher which parts of your body are gaining muscle and which locations need to lose fat, which is why DXA scans are so efficient. The precision of our body scans allow us to give the best results possible.

Symmetry: Many athletes perform activities in which one of their limbs is dominant in comparison to another, which can lead to asymmetrical muscle development. DXA scans show athletes where muscle mass is asymmetrical within their body, which provides insight on how they should update their exercise and training. Also, it is useful for athletes that have experienced an injury, as loss of muscle can occur in mere weeks. An athlete should not return to full function or competition until the injured muscle strength has been regained with proper training. The US Olympic committee uses DXA body composition for this reason.