Body Composition Test in Greater Boston
How much of your weight is fat, muscle and bone, and 10 clinics in Greater Boston that list it.
- Time
- Minutes to half an hour Depends on the method
- What you do
- Stand on a device or lie on a table Bioimpedance or a DEXA scan
- You get
- Your fat and lean mass DEXA adds bone density
A body composition test splits your weight into fat and lean tissue rather than giving you one number on a scale. Clinics use two main methods. DEXA is a low-dose X-ray scan you lie still for, and it also reports bone density. Bioimpedance sends a small, painless electrical current through your body and estimates the split from how easily it travels.
People use it to see what is changing as they train or change their diet, since the scale alone cannot tell muscle gained from fat lost. The two methods are different tests, so a number from one is not directly comparable with a number from the other. Bioimpedance is offered under brands like InBody.
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Body Composition Test: common questions
Which clinics in Greater Boston list body composition testing?
10 in our Greater Boston guide: Aum Healing Center, Ahn Point Wellness, Optimal Wellness MD, Personal Health MD, EnVital, Healthspan Longevity, Men's Health Boston, Synergy Private Health, Goodhaven Health and Mass General Brigham Executive Health Program.
Does it matter when I take the test?
Yes, for bioimpedance in particular. How much water you are carrying moves the result, so compare tests taken at the same time of day and in the same state, for example in the morning before eating.
How often should I retest?
Often enough to see a real change, which usually means months rather than weeks. Use the same method and, where you can, the same machine each time.
Sources: ACR and RSNA, RadiologyInfo: Bone Density Scan (DEXA); Kyle UG et al., Bioelectrical impedance analysis, part I: review of principles and methods. Clinical Nutrition, 2004; Influence of passive, diet-based hydration on muscle quantity assessment, Frontiers in Physiology