DEXA scan

DEXA uses two X-ray energies to differentiate bone mineral, lean soft tissue, and fat. Outputs include site-specific bone mineral density (BMD), T-score and Z-score (standardised against young-adult and age-matched references), total and regional fat mass, lean mass, and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) estimate.

Bone density declines from the fourth decade onward; declines accelerate post-menopause in women and after andropause in men. Low BMD predicts fragility fractures, which are themselves a strong predictor of one-year mortality in older adults. Body composition — especially appendicular lean mass and visceral fat — independently predicts cardiometabolic and all-cause mortality.

These providers offer the scan directly to consumers. You book and pay with them; the imaging report lives on their platform. Healicus is not in the clinical chain.

• Prenuvo

  US · UK · EU · INTL

  Whole-body MRI screening at private clinics in major cities — radiologist-read report.

  Visit Prenuvo

• Prescan

  DE · EU

  European preventive-imaging chain offering MRI, CT, DEXA, and vascular screening in German clinics.

  Visit Prescan

• BodySpec

  US

  Mobile DEXA body-composition scans across the US — pay-per-scan, no membership.

  Visit BodySpec

Healicus is not the provider. Your contract for the service is with whoever you choose. Links labelled Sponsored are paid affiliate relationships; unlabelled links are editorial reference only. See our disclosure for the full policy.

T-scores compare to young-adult peak; Z-scores compare to age-matched reference. Use T-score for postmenopausal women and men ≥50; Z-score for younger adults. Body composition reference ranges vary by ethnicity, age, and sex — most reports include cohort comparisons.

Older scanners and different manufacturers (Hologic, GE Lunar, Norland) produce slightly different absolute values; track trends on the same scanner for longitudinal comparison. Vertebral fracture or severe scoliosis can spuriously elevate spinal BMD; abdominal aortic calcification can elevate lumbar values in older adults.

• Whether your T-score and clinical risk factors warrant lifestyle measures, pharmacotherapy, or both (FRAX or QFracture in the UK).
• How body composition results compare to your age and sex norms, and whether changes are meaningful.
• Cadence for follow-up scans (typically every 2 years for monitoring, longer if stable).

1. [1]USPSTF 2025 — Screening for osteoporosis to prevent fractures(2025)
2. [2]National Osteoporosis Guideline Group 2021 — UK Clinical Guideline for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis(2021)
3. [3]International Society for Clinical Densitometry 2019 Official Positions(2019)
4. [4]WHO Study Group — Assessment of fracture risk and its application to screening for postmenopausal osteoporosis(1994)
5. [5]Neeland et al., Visceral and ectopic fat, atherosclerosis, and cardiometabolic disease(2019)