A Simple Scan Determines ‘Body Fat Composition’ (Video)

The most complete and precise analysis of your so-called “body fat composition” can be realized with a 10-to-15-minute scan that involves low-dose radiation and no enclosures.

The scanned, detailed images can help your primary care doctor determine how much fat you have around your internal organs, called visceral fat, and the fat under the skin that you can pinch, called subcutaneous fat.

“There are a scales that tell you your body mass index (BMI) by just standing on it and they’ll just calculate it,” says Michael Diaz, Radiology Clinical Specialist at Baptist Diagnostic Center. “However, here (at Baptist Health Medical Plazas, which are offering free body fat analysis scans in January) we measure your actual body fat percentages and your actual body mass index. With this, the inaccuracies are gone.”

As the machine’s arm passes over the patient, it is directly measuring how much muscle, body fat, and bone mass the patient’s body contains. (Watch the video below for more information on the scan.)

Video by Alcyene C. de Almeida Rodrigues

Why is Determining Body Fat Composition Important?
Analyzing a person’s body fat is becoming an increasingly important tool for helping those who are overweight or obese to get started on a path toward losing weight and a healthier outlook. Obesity is a major risk factor for heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and even some cancers.

Baptist Health South Florida has recognized the importance of keeping our community healthy by offering body fat analysis scans for free this month at any Baptist Health Medical Plaza in Broward or Miami-Dade County — as long as you are 21 years of age or older and have a doctor’s prescription.

People are under the misconception that this body fat composition analysis involves the painful squeezing of body fat with calipers, which are done at some gyms. But those measuring practices are antiquated and inadequate.

The scans provided by Baptist Health can accurate determine excess body fat – not simply excess weight. Healthy body fat levels can vary per individual, but generally about 15 percent body fat is considered middle-range healthy for men, while 25 percent is the mid-range for women.

Some studies have indicated that configuring body-fat percentage may be a better measure of a person’s risk of weight-related diseases than merely a calculated BMI.

“Before a patient comes to get their free body fat analysis, they’re going to have to bring a prescription from the primary care doctor,” says Diaz. “This particular scan does get a reading from our radiologist. That reading is then sent to their primary care physician in order for them to follow up and develop a plan for a healthy lifestyle.”

Watch the video now for more details from Mr. Diaz on free body fat analysis scans.