A body composition scan is highly accurate. That is why it is called the “gold standard” of body composition analysis. It involves very minimal levels of radiation and is far more accurate than bio-impedance, calipers or tape measures and scales. The only comparable methods for measuring body composition are volumetric CT (high radiation dose), dunk tank (messes up your hair!) and BodPod (which isn’t available on the Central Coast). DEXA is, by far, the most widely used in research laboratories and institutes concerned with athletic performance and human nutrition.

Accuracy with serial scans, one day apart, is around 99%, or better, depending on whether it is the bone mass, fat mass or lean mass that is being measured. We calibrate our scanner every day, and also perform additional quality assurance and quality control phantom scans, plotting them using a number of methods (moving average, precision, exponentially weighted moving average, and Shewhart chart), to make sure that our Densitometer provides you with precise, accurate and reliable results, no matter how long between scans.