Beyond Bone Health: The Full Power of a DEXA Scan

Disclaimer: Not Medical Advice. Opinions are my own.

In partnership with ​Function Health​

Today's newsletter at a glance:

• DEXA/DXA Scan Misconception

• What is a DXA Scan?

• Why You Should Care?

• Body Composition Protocol

Most commonly, people associate DXA scans with post-menopausal women and osteoporosis (brittle and weak bones).

The prescription of completing regular DXA scans is encouraged for females older than 65 and males older than 70 years old.

This prescription is looking through the lens of BMD (bone mineral density), which is a component that is measured, but only the tip of the iceberg.

In today's newsletter, we'll examine what a DXA scan is, why it's important for everyone to understand, why it should be part of your longevity toolkit, and how to create your own effective DXA protocol.

What is a DXA Scan?

DEXA scan stands for Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry.

DXA scans work by utilizing two low-dose X-ray beams that pass through the body at varying energy levels.

Since our fat, muscle, and bones absorb this energy differently, you can accurately measure the different amounts of each with a high degree of accuracy.

So what does the DXA tell us?:

• Bone Mineral Density (BMD) As we alluded to earlier, bone health is the primary use for a DXA scan. It’s the most validated way to diagnose osteoporosis, assess fracture risk, and track bone health over time. This is still critical—osteoporosis leads to over 8.9 million fractures globally each year.
  
  

• Fat Mass & Distribution DXA confidently answers the questions: "How much fat do I have and what type is it?" Visceral fat: The fat stored deep in the abdomen around organs. The fat we should all be concerned about since it is strongly linked to insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Subcutaneous fat: The fat stored under the skin. Although less metabolically dangerous, it is still a parameter for overall health. Overall Fat distribution: Whether fat is concentrated in the trunk, legs, or arms can signal different metabolic risks.
  
  

• Lean Muscle Mass + Organs Muscle plays a crucial role in longevity for both men and women. Knowing your total lean muscle mass relative to your age is an essential metric for understanding your metabolic health.

Why DXA Scan?

Now that we have covered the basics of what a DXA scan accurately measures, is it necessary?

A DXA scan is the gold standard for determining body composition.

Calculating your BMI (height-to-weight ratio) gives you a general estimation of body composition, but it is extremely limited.

Stepping on a scale, even a high-tech scale, can show you your weight, but it is limited in providing detailed information about body composition.

A DXA scan costing around $100 provides a full-body assessment, offering nearly definitive information with only a 1-2% margin of error.

The scan averages around 10 minutes, and you are out the door.

Knowing exactly where your body composition blueprint stands today is powerful for identifying opportunities.

Building Your Body Composition Protocol

Prevention is the best form of medicine.

Delaying or preventing diseases should be the primary focus.

Utilizing a DXA scan to establish your body composition lays the foundation for tracking progress over time.

Bone density loss, muscle loss, and gaining visceral fat are all markers of chronic disease.

Periodically getting DXA scans can confirm if the lifestyle changes you are implementing are truly moving the needle in your favor.

The only way to make meaningful changes is by accepting where you stand today.

You can use the ​DEXA Scan Website​ to find and schedule a DXA Scan near you (no affiliation).

If You Don't Test, You Don't Know

True health ownership starts with knowledge.

Understanding which biomarkers are in range or, more importantly, out of range will help you personalize and create your own instruction manual.

​Function Health​ is an all-in-one health platform that starts with 100+ lab tests, including your heart, hormones, liver, kidneys, thyroid, autoimmunity, cancer signals, toxins, and overall nutrients.

Function provides five times more bloodwork testing than standard primary care labs, which would cost you thousands of dollars out of pocket.

Function makes scheduling at 2,000 locations across the USA convenient and straightforward, with lab visits averaging only 15 minutes.

Once your results are in, you will receive a comprehensive summary written by Function's Clinical Team. Clinicians call you promptly if any urgent results arise.

After seeing your biomarkers and Function's insightful recommendations, you will have the confidence to take action and retest in the future to track your progress.

Join hundreds of thousands, including me, who use Function to take control of their health. ​Click here to get a $100 credit when you sign up for Function.​

Only the best,

Jeremy London, MD

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