Earlier this summer, I found myself lying flat on a padded table in Tucson, Arizona. A mechanical arm hovered above me, scanning my body from head to toe while I tried to remain still. Fifteen-ish minutes later, a clinician handed me a thick packet of results, which included details on bone density, lean muscle mass, body fat percentage, and color-coded visuals showing exactly where each of these metrics was located within my body.

This was a DEXA scan, short for dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Since the late 1980s, hospitals have used this method to diagnose osteoporosis, and it remains the gold-standard test for bone health. In recent years, however, it has been rebranded as a wellness service, promoted by longevity influencers like Peter Attia and Bryan Johnson, and is now offered at boutique clinics and luxury retreats. At Canyon Ranch, where I was attending the Longevity8 program, the DEXA scan was presented as a crucial snapshot of what might be diminishing my healthspan.

The appeal of the DEXA scan is clear. In a culture that is obsessed with optimization and biometric data, these scans promise hard numbers. But does all this information genuinely help you live longer, or does it simply provide expensive figures to obsess over?

DEXA BD (bone density) scans were introduced into clinical practice in 1987 for measuring bone mineral density in the spine and hip. Current medical guidelines recommend that women over the age of 65, as well as younger women with risk factors, should be screened for osteoporosis. Though by this age, it’s often too late.

“We suggest earlier screening, especially during periomenopause, when women can lose up to 20 percent of their bone mass,” says Jennifer Wagner, chief health and performance officer at Canyon Ranch.

According to Wagner, the risks of osteoporotic fractures are high. “One in three women will experience one, and half of those have significant complications,” she says. “Prevention ideally starts 20 to 30 years before fracture risk peaks.”

What catapulted DEXA into the wellness world is its ability to measure more than bone. A DEXA BC (body composition) scan can also distinguish fat from lean muscle, providing a clearer picture of cardiovascular risk, metabolic health, and stroke risk.

“It gives a greater understanding of where fat is located, how much there is, and adds to our ability to stratify risk,” explains Josh Cheema, medical director of Northwestern Medicine’s Human Longevity Clinic. “It hasn’t made it into screening guidelines, but it’s important. The most common way we currently screen for obesity is BMI, but BMI can be misleading, especially for people with high muscle mass, athletes, or younger individuals.”

DEXA also measures visceral adipose tissue, which is the inflammatory fat around the internal organs. According to internist and performance specialist Pooja Gidwani, high visceral fat increases insulin resistance and chronic disease risk. “Visceral fat is one of the most important metrics,” she says. “Knowing these numbers guides how you eat, exercise, and whether you need medications.”

The granularity of DEXA is compelling for athletes, but it’s also increasingly popular with people on GLP-1 medications like Ozempic or Mounjaro. These drugs accelerate fat loss but can also erode muscle and bone density. “DEXA helps us see the quality of weight loss, how much is fat versus muscle,” Gidwani says.

Gidwani likens the scan to a financial audit: “Muscle and bone are your assets; fat is your liability.” Wagner offers a gentler take: “Think of it like a savings account,” she says. “Knowing your starting balance helps you plan before decline sets in.”

In hospitals, bone density scans may be covered by insurance if you meet the osteoporosis screening criteria. At luxury retreats like Canyon Ranch, they’re bundled into a $20,000 program fee. Stand-alone scans typically run $300 or more, though some university labs sometimes offer cheaper options for research volunteers.

The bigger cost is the repetition. Experts agree that the value lies in tracking trends over time. “For patients on a fitness or body recomposition journey, I recommend repeating a DEXA every one to three months,” Gidwani says.

For most people, though, “if results are strong, maybe you don’t need another scan for five years,” says Wagner. “If they’re lower, lifestyle interventions can help, and you may want to recheck in a year.”

Radiation exposure is negligible, less than a chest x-ray. But the psychological impact can be more complicated. For some, the numbers motivate: “When I did a body composition test at 36, I had way more body fat than I expected,” Cheema says. “That pushed me to change my workouts and eating patterns in ways that improved my health—something BMI alone wouldn’t have prompted.”

For others, especially those with histories of disordered eating or body image issues, it can be destabilizing and overwhelming. Numbers can become another metric to obsess over rather than a tool for health. “It can be overwhelming if you don’t have a clinician to interpret the results,” Gidwani says. “That’s why I review all of my patients’ scans with them.”

Cheema agrees: “Too much detail without guidance risks overwhelming people with information that isn’t clinically actionable.”

“I don’t think DEXA gives too much information compared to, say, a whole-body MRI, which can reveal incidental findings that can cause anxiety and lead to unnecessary interventions,” says Gidwani. “Its data points are actionable: decrease body fat, reduce visceral fat, increase muscle.”

Experts emphasize that actionability is key. “The most important metrics are visceral adipose tissue and total body fat percentage, especially when tracked over time,” Cheema says. “But DEXA also breaks things down by arms, legs, trunk, etc. That can veer into aesthetics rather than health.

If you’re 65 or older, or at risk for osteoporosis, your doctor may already recommend a DEXA scan for bone health. For women in perimenopause, when bone density can drop by as much as 20 percent, an early baseline scan could flag risks years before they become urgent.

DEXA also detects sarcopenic obesity, where muscle loss occurs alongside high body fat. “Someone may look normal weight on a scale, but a DEXA can reveal poor muscle-to-fat balance,” Gidwani says.

Beyond those groups, the use case narrows. Athletes, bodybuilders, and people on GLP-1 medications may find the data genuinely useful. For generally healthy adults who exercise, eat decently, and check in with a doctor, many clinicians are indifferent.

“For a healthy individual, I wouldn’t universally recommend it,” Cheema says. “Lifestyle changes and basic care may matter more than getting a DEXA.” There are alternatives—bioimpedance scales, Bod Pods, and AI-enabled wearables—but none are as accurate as DEXA. For now, it remains the most precise, if expensive, tool available.

My DEXA results were somewhat humbling. Despite near-daily workouts and a decent diet, the scan flagged more body fat than I expected and the beginnings of osteopenia in my spine. The bright side was an “excellent” visceral fat score, something I’ll be bragging about indefinitely.

Catching early bone loss feels actionable; I can tweak my workouts to prioritize strength and mobility. But the body fat percentages have lived in my brain rent-free ever since, without offering much in return. I don’t plan to shell out a few hundred dollars for another scan anytime soon, so I may never know if my adjustments are actually working.

That’s the paradox of DEXA. For those with medical risks, it can be invaluable. For athletes chasing marginal gains, it’s another knob to turn. But for the rest of us, it’s a reminder that data is only as useful as what you’re willing or able to do with it. In the end, DEXA doesn’t promise longevity so much as it promises numbers, and numbers alone don’t add years to your life.

• Jennifer Wagner, MD, MS, chief health and performance officer, Canyon Ranch in Tucson, Arizona.
• Josh Cheema, MD, medical director of Northwestern Medicine Human Longevity Clinic in Chicago, Illinois.
• Pooja Gidwani, MD, MBA, board-certified physician in internal medicine and obesity medicine in Los Angeles, California.