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Denver-Boulder · Tests & scans

Body Composition Test in Denver-Boulder

How much of your weight is fat, muscle and bone, and 8 clinics in Denver-Boulder 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
Denver photograph by Bill Griepenstroh · Unsplash

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.

Showing 8 clinics that list body composition testing in Denver-Boulder

Body Composition Test: common questions

Which clinics in Denver-Boulder list body composition testing?

8 in our Denver-Boulder guide: Cenegenics Denver, Colorado Center for Medical Excellence, DexaFit Denver, Longevity Health Clinic, National Jewish Health Executive Health, Pure Family Medicine, Grossman Wellness Center and Ikigai Health Institute.

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