Do you need a DEXA scan?

A DEXA scan provides body composition measurements using non-invasive technology. The results should give you an accurate idea of body measurements, which can then in theory be used to help set health goals. We look at the pros and cons of DEXA scans to help you decide whether they are worthwhile.

Do you have comments, thoughts or experiences with DEXA scans? Post them in the comments below.

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Never heard of them until…well just now. I at least can say that I have learnt something new today and expect I will sleep well tonight.

Only other comment is I have no interest in doing one and to me sounds a bit like someone else taking advantage of others woes in trying to loose weight.

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As it uses X rays to do the test my concern would be how often are people returning for follow up scans. As it seems to be a whole body scan the amount of x ray exposure could be significant and if done with any frequency during the year could exceed exposure limits, and this does not take into account other x ray exposure one might have due to CT scans and x rays for other health issues that may occur during a year. Was this exposure considered?

Otherwise an interesting tool but an MRI could also achieve this result but the cost might be higher or lower I guess??

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The area where I see this as potentially useful is to take into account different body types.

Some years back I went for a physical in order to do some emergency service activities. The doctor asked me what I weighed and what I wanted to be - I asked him to guess. He told me what he thought I was and what I should be - the ‘should be’ being a weight I hadn’t been since the age of 12. Admittedly I was overweight and needed to lose some, but his guess was 45kg less than I was. He then measured my back, legs, shoulders, etc - I have a long back and broad shoulders. I still had to lose 15-20 but he said I could never get as low as he originally thought. I remember him laughing how far out he was. Tech like this could/may possibly help in generating real world figures that match body type rather than arbitrary “this height should weigh this much” style advice - which is a one size fits all assessment …

I share the concern on xrays, but then, with all the RF and stuff around these days maybe that’s a small part of it …

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I have been having dexa scans every two years for the last ten to monitor below average bone density. My GP ordered the tests and they have all been covered by Medicare.
Aparrently it’s important to have repeated tests done on the same machine to monitor change accurately.
Until reading the Choice article I was unaware that dexa scanners had become a slot machine in the weight loss industry. In the ten years I have going I have never seen another patient using the machine, or waiting for the procedure, so maybe some enterprising individual has dreamt up a new use for these expensive machines.

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Two year scans are not such an issue in regards to exposure but in weight loss I would wonder what time frame between scans is envisaged there.

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Wow, my understanding was every additional CT or X-Ray scan increased the risk of developing cancer from the radiation. Are these scans not using ionising radiation? I thought that the general wisdom was to avoid scans unless absolutely necessary (to diagnose serious illnesses), and doing them just for informational purposes seems to be unnecessary. A Google search reveals this: “About 6 in 1,000 cancers in the UK are linked to diagnostic radiation.” http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/cancer-controversies/medical-scans-air-travel-and-nuclear-industries. I’m surprised this was not at least discussed in the article, maybe under “DEXA Downsides”?

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Thanks for link @acreed2002, I’ll be sure to pass on your suggestions to the author.

I’m not sure how many people are using DEXA scans frequently, but it seems to me that an increased cancer risk would be something to consider and discuss with a GP. Thanks for raising the issue.

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