Dexascan - Off Topic

Anybody ever do the Dexascan? It's. Low dose radiation scan that measures your body fat % very precisely and also tells you where the fat is. I'm guessing not because there are only 20 locations in the US. But thought I'd ask.

There is none near me, but I'm headed to Florida for the winter where there is one and I'm thinking about doing it, along with VO2Max to measure fitness level, only thing holding me back is im afraid they'll find something that I don't want to know about. Doubtful I know, and ridiculous. But if I have some new thing lurking, I don't want to know about it till after the winter.

But I feel like I need a baseline, to get me motivated to eat better and exercise more. I'm data driven.

Anyway, if anyone has experience with them, es[ecially the one in Boca Raton, Florida, I'd like to hear about it.

Yes, I get a dexascan about once a year at a fitness facility. It's comparable to a CT scan for showing body composition. I love it as it helps guide my exercise goals for the year. The last one I had done in November of this year. They cost about $100. The link below gives more information about the testing.

washington-institute.com/body-composition/

Tim G said...
Yes, I get a dexascan about once a year at a fitness facility. It's comparable to a CT scan for showing body composition. I love it as it helps guide my exercise goals for the year. The last one I had done in November of this year. They cost about $100. The link below gives more information about the testing.

washington-institute.com/body-composition/

So Tim, does it find other stuff that might be lurking, like a CT Scan would? or is it just looking at body fat ?
Very informative website, thanks. So i guess the technology is offered at many facilities, and Dexafit (what i was looking at) is just one company offering it.

The Dexafit in Florida charges $150 for the fat composition test which includes bone density (i think) . very reasonable.

Post Edited (Pratoman) : 12/29/2017 3:48:31 PM (GMT-7)

Thanks Allen, thats what i surmised, from Tim's post, that its a brand.

And thanks for the comment about not picking up lesions.

I prefer ignorance to knowledge. I'd rather get hit by a train I can't see.

My CT scan is 1/9, but I'm not going to read report, nope, I'll do the scan, but I'll ignore the results. Yup, denial is the path to true enlightenment.

Andrew

At first I didn't reply to this thread, but have been scratching my head all day. I've had a dexascan in several different places over the years and never heard anything about body fat measurements.

Now I think I understand that the original post asked about a dexascan but everything after TA's reply is about something called "dexafit". I'd say it's apples and oranges, or maybe oranges and tangerines.

Because visceral belly fat seems to be most associated with CV disease, some advocate that as the most relevant measure. They say that the patient should lie supine on a flat bench with a plank balanced on top of the belly. Then the distance from the bench to the plank is the best measure to track. This probably takes a second person to take the measurement. They say it is a much better indicator than BMI, which is not a good indicator in muscular guys.

As is evident from the responses, some guys are data geeks and others are the opposite. The numbers guys will doubtless die younger than the rest due to stress.

Also, the dexascans that are done at fitness centers are not for medical diagnostic purposes but are the same machines they use in medical centers.

One helpful result I have gotten is that five years ago I was diagnose with osteopenia. With bone building exercise, primarily weight-bearing exercise, I am no longer osteopenic, but am in the top 30% for my age group. Regular cycling did nothing for my bones, so I changed my exercise routine accordingly.

Your mileage may vary

Pratoken, I hope you're enjoying the Florida weather (granted a bit chilly now, but still a HECK of a lot better than up north) and that both you and your wife are doing well.

One of the more confusing threads.
A DXA scan is used in many medical offices to measure bone density.
The DEXAFIT appears to be an offshoot, and measures a few additional parameters. All smartly (?) packaged for the exercise crowd. Not sure if DEXAFIT would be covered by insurance.

Yes, sorry to have confused everyone, I didn't realize that the bone density test is the same technology used by dexafit.

It's interesting to me that something so expensive and complicated aS a dexascan for bone density, can be used by non medical people to guide exercise. Equally interesting is that it's so cheap when done t. Fitness facility yet so expensive when done ata medical imaging facility.

Wonderful healthcare system we have. 🤔

Wow, so far I haven't found any place in Florida to get one other than Dexafit, or the hospitals, but I'm thinking Florida Atlantic University has a department of Exercise and Fitness, that might. I am going to call them.