DEXA body-composition scan
Bone, lean, fat. What is your scan saying?
A DEXA report hands you forty numbers and a T-score. Paste them in. The page maps the three tissues on a body, left against right, draws every measurement across your scans, and works out the figures reports often leave out. Ask for the read to hear what changed in plain words, then for a review of your plan for the next scan, graded by how strong the evidence is.
1 The scans
Start each scan with its date (## 2026-06-02), then paste the report's table as it is (a header row such as Region | Fat | Lean | BMC | Total, then one row per region) or one label: value per line - total mass, body fat %, fat mass, lean mass, bone mineral content, VAT, android and gynoid %, left and right arm and leg lean and fat, trunk, T-score and Z-score. kg, lb and g all work. Up to six scans.
2 About you
Sex and height pick the reference cutoffs and turn arm and leg lean mass into ALMI. Nothing is sent anywhere until you ask for a run.
3 The body map
Three tissues, latest scan
Flags
- lean
- fat (share of the region, from the top)
- bone
- not in the report
- lopsided (the read)
- * both sides given together, split evenly
Across your scans
How the page works it out
- ALMI = left and right arm lean + left and right leg lean, over height squared (kg/m2). The EWGSOP2 consensus (2019) uses under 7.0 for men and 5.5 for women as low muscle mass; under 20 kg / 15 kg of arm and leg lean when height is missing.
- T-score (WHO): -1.0 or above is normal, between -1.0 and -2.5 is low bone mass, -2.5 or below is the osteoporosis range. Under 50 the Z-score is usually the one that counts; -2.0 or below is below the expected range for age.
- Left-right gap = the difference in lean mass between the two arms (or legs) as a share of the larger one. Over 10% is flagged - a rule of thumb, not a standard.
- Visceral fat over about 1,000 g (or 100 cm2) is flagged as a rough line; scanner makers and studies use different ranges. Android / gynoid over 1.0 (men) or 0.8 (women) means fat sits more around the middle - a commonly cited line.
- Noise: changes in lean or fat mass under about 1 kg between scans are treated as within scan-to-scan noise (an estimate). Lean share of loss over a quarter of the weight lost is flagged.
- Ask a clinician: a T-score at or below -2.5, a Z-score at or below -2.0, or ALMI under the cutoff. Watch: anything else flagged. Clear: nothing flagged. The page explains numbers; it does not diagnose.
4 Ask for a run
Take it with you
The .md carries the scans table, the page's figures and flags, the read and the plan - handy to bring to an appointment. The .csv has one row per scan with every value and the page's worked-out figures.