The measurement of body fat is more accurate than body weight for assessing health. A person can have a lot of muscle, but be considered “over-weight” by many height/weight charts. The opposite can also be true—a person can have a lot of fat and little muscle and be “over-fat” but not overweight. Too little body fat is linked to problems with normal, healthy functioning in both men and women. It can also lead to problems with reproduction in women.
Too much body fat, especially when located around the abdomen, increases the risk of many diseases, including type II diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease and certain cancers. For many athletes, performance is improved with optimal body composition.
Body composition measurement with
Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) is used increasingly for a variety
of clinical and research applications. Total body or estimated total body
scans using DEXA give accurate and precise measurements of BMD and body composition,
including bone mineral content (BMC), bone mineral density (BMD), lean tissue
mass, fat tissue mass and % fat results. These measurements are extremely
reproducible, making them excellent for monitoring pharmaceutical therapy,
nutritional or exercise intervention, sports training &/or other body composition altering programs. They are
also fast, simple, non-invasive, and expose the subject to a level of x-rays
lower than that of a cross-country flight. DEXA exams provide both total body
and up to 14 regional (trunk, individual arms & legs, android, gynoid,
etc) results.
Reasons
for Having a DEXA Body Composition Analysis
By knowing your body fat percentage, and the range it falls in, you can take
measures to improve your health and reduce your risk for various diseases.
The following chart shows the classification of body fat percentage ranges for each gender.
| Gender | Normal | Overweight | Obese |
| Adult Male | 4-25% | 25-30% | >30% |
| Adult Female | 12-29% | 29-35% | >35% |
Body Composition
Analysis Now Available at WIS
The DEXA technology used at
Washington Imagining Service to assess your body composition is considered
to be the gold standard. The instrument uses an X-ray technique to look at
the density of the body and can then estimate the amount of lean and fat
tissue. The exam is precise, non-invasive, accurate and reliable.
Risks Involved
in the Exam
There is the risk of radiation exposure;
however, this level (0.02 mCi) is significantly below (1/160,000th) the level
that is recommended for your life time.
Conditions to Let Us Know About
In
advance of your exam, let your WIS scheduler or technologist know if you
are pregnant or could be. Or, if you've had any barium contrast exams within
one week of your scheduled appointment.
Insurance Coverage
DEXA body composition
analysis is not reimbursed by your insurance company. The $99 payment will
be an out-of-pocket expense due at the time of your body composition scan.
Exam Locations & Scheduling
A DEXA body fat test can be done at our Bellevue
WIS location in the Overlake Medical Tower, Suite 260. To schedule your exam
call 425-688-0100. The scheduler will ask you to provide the name of your
referring physician.
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Washington Imaging Services, LLC
has advanced diagnostic imaging centers in Bellevue and Issaquah, Washington
to serve patients on the greater Eastside and from Seattle. Our state-of-the-art
PET/CT, MDCT, Breast MRI, MRI, ultrasound and x-ray systems capture detailed
images that our board certified subspecialty trained radiologists interpret
to optimize clinical decision-making. |
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