DEXA body composition and bone density scans in Leichhardt
A precise measure of your fat, lean mass, visceral fat and bone — then interpreted against your history, medications and goals, so you leave with a plan rather than a printout.
From $175 · allow 30 minutes · report and interpretation emailed the same day
- Scanner
- Hologic Horizon DXA
- Scan
- Whole body, with regional and bone analysis
- Duration
- About 7 min scan, 30 min appointment
- Dose
- Less than 4 µSv per scan
- Report
- Same day, plus debrief with Anton
- Referral
- Not required. GP and specialist referrals welcome
Measured properly
Bone density, visceral fat, fat mass and lean mass, broken down by arms, legs and trunk, left and right.
Interpreted, not printed
Ranked against your age and sex peer group, and explained in the room.
Same scanner every time
Repeat scans run on the same machine and protocol, so serial comparison is actually valid.
What you get
The scan is the starting point. The value is what we do with it.
Your full picture
Medications, medical history, training experience and constraints are factored in — not just the numbers on the page.
Energy needs, calculated
Resting metabolic rate estimated from your fat-free mass, giving a minimum intake that protects muscle and bone during a calorie deficit.
A clear pathway
What to change, in what order and over what timeframe, with strength and cardio dosing set in our onsite gym.
How your results are interpreted
Scanning is the easy part. DEXA results are nuanced and can mislead when read out of context.
Compared against population data
Fat, lean and visceral fat values are positioned against NHANES reference values by age and sex, so you learn where you sit, not just what you measured.
Muscle mass checked against strength
Lean mass does not always track function. A low muscle mass score is cross-checked with grip dynamometry before any conclusion is drawn about sarcopenia risk.
Change measured, not guessed
Follow-up scans are compared with your baseline region by region, under the same preparation and time of day, so real change is separated from hydration and noise.
Visceral fat in context
Visceral fat is reported alongside what it means for metabolic risk — insulin resistance, fatty liver and cardiovascular risk — and what actually reduces it.
Choose your scan
DEXA scan and consult
$175
30 minutes
- Whole-body DEXA scan
- Bone density, visceral fat, fat and lean mass
- Regional breakdown by limb and trunk
- Grip strength testing
- Consult, targets and written report
Baseline and review
$315
2 appointments, 30 minutes each
- Two scans taken months apart
- Grip strength testing each visit
- Review compared against your baseline
- Targets and written report each time
DEXA for two people
$315
60 minutes
- Two scans in one appointment
- Grip strength testing for both
- Individual results and reports
- For couples and training partners
Adding a VO2max test? The combined DEXA and VO2max package is $575 for 90 minutes — book the combined test or see CPET and VO2max testing.
A private health fund rebate may be available under extras cover. The amount depends on your fund, your level of cover and the item billed, so check with your fund before booking. There is no Medicare rebate for DEXA body composition or bone density scans at this clinic. A Medicare rebate is available with an Enhanced Primary Care (EPC) referral for the exercise program recommended from your DEXA scan and consult.
Before you book
What does the scan measure?
Do I need a referral?
How is the scan done?
How do I prepare?
Is it safe?
What do I get afterwards?
How often should I rescan?
Can I do a DEXA scan and a VO2max test on the same day?
Commonly booked by people who are
- On a GLP-1 medication and want to protect muscle and bone
- Over 50 and thinking about bone density or sarcopenia
- Peri- or post-menopausal and tracking real change
- Starting a gym program or lifestyle intervention
- Athletes monitoring training and competition blocks
- Post-bariatric and monitoring lean mass
- Managing pre-diabetes, diabetes, PCOS or metabolic syndrome
- Returning to sport after surgery with a limb muscle deficit
Clinical detail
For referrers, and for anyone who wants the full picture before booking.
What DEXA adds beyond weight, BMI and tape measures
Three-compartment measurement
Separates fat mass, lean soft tissue and bone mineral content, rather than inferring composition from body weight or impedance.
Regional and visceral analysis
Reports arms, legs and trunk separately, left against right, and estimates visceral adipose tissue within the android region.
Bone and soft tissue in one scan
Supports screening for low bone mass and monitoring of bone-loading programs such as ONERO and pharmacotherapy including alendronate, teriparatide and romosozumab.
Scan not performed
- Pregnancy, or possible pregnancy
Contact us before booking
- Any imaging with contrast media in the past 14 days
- Metal implants or devices in the region of interest
Contrast agents and metal can affect measured values. Where either applies, we’ll advise whether to reschedule or how results should be read.
Clinical applications
Where serial DEXA changes decisions.
GLP-1 and SGLT-2 inhibitor therapy
Quantifies how much of the weight lost is fat versus lean tissue and bone, and sets a minimum energy and protein intake from fat-free mass to limit lean mass loss alongside resistance training.
Bone health
Screening for osteopenia and osteoporosis in clients with risk factors, and monitoring response to bone-loading programs and pharmacotherapy. No Medicare rebate applies to BMD scans at this clinic.
RED-S and athletes
Bone loss and lean mass decline support the assessment of Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport. Fat-free mass sets minimum energy availability; combined with CPET it guides prevention and management.
Post-operative and rehabilitation
Limb lean mass is compared side to side before return to sport, and serially through rehabilitation.
Intervention validation
Serial scans validate calorie restriction, ketogenic and intermittent fasting protocols, strength and conditioning programs, bariatric surgery and clinical trials of supplements, drugs and lifestyle interventions.
Osteoporosis risk factors that warrant a BMD scan
Age over 40, family history, early menopause, low testosterone, corticosteroid use, low calcium or vitamin D, coeliac or inflammatory bowel disease, thyroid or parathyroid disease, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic liver or kidney disease, some anti-epileptic, breast and prostate cancer and antidepressant medications, low physical activity, smoking, excess alcohol, and very low or high body weight.
Every reference used is named and cited in the report.
Body composition on GLP-1 therapy
In the STEP 1 trial, DEXA sub-study participants on semaglutide lost 19.3% of total fat mass, 27.4% of regional visceral fat and 9.7% of total lean mass from baseline to week 68. The lean-to-fat mass ratio improved, and more so in those who lost at least 15% of body weight. Across GLP-1 studies, roughly 25–45% of weight lost can be lean mass — comparable to lifestyle intervention and bariatric surgery.
Lean mass loss is an expected part of weight loss and is not harmful in itself unless function declines. That is why lean mass is tracked alongside strength, and why a DEXA baseline before starting therapy makes later scans interpretable.
What’s in your report ▾
Every scan produces a written report and a consultation to work through it. Here is what the report contains.
Your body composition, and where it sits
Total fat mass, lean mass and bone mineral content, body fat percentage, and indices such as fat mass and lean mass relative to height, each positioned against NHANES reference values for your age and sex.
Visceral fat and metabolic risk
Visceral adipose tissue estimated from the scan and set against reference values, with what it means for insulin resistance, fatty liver and cardiovascular risk, and which changes reduce it.
Regional breakdown and asymmetry
Arms, legs and trunk reported separately, with left–right differences in lean mass. Useful after injury or surgery, and for athletes in one-sided sports.
Muscle mass checked against strength
Appendicular lean mass reported alongside grip strength. Where muscle mass and strength disagree, the report says so and explains which should guide the plan.
Energy needs from fat-free mass
Resting metabolic rate estimated from your fat-free mass rather than body weight, used to set a minimum daily intake that protects muscle and bone during a calorie deficit, and a protein target to match.
Where a measured RMR is available, the report uses it and shows the difference from the estimate.
Change since your last scan
On follow-up scans, every region is compared with your baseline, and changes are separated into fat, lean and bone. Changes smaller than the scanner’s measurement error are reported as no meaningful change.
Bone density, where assessed
Whole-body bone mineral content and density with reference comparisons. Where a clinical BMD assessment is indicated, the report states what was and was not measured.
What to change, and when to rescan
A prioritised plan across training, energy and protein intake, with a recommended rescan interval and what to expect to have changed by then.
Stated limits, and every reference named
Hydration, recent food and exercise, and positioning all affect DEXA values; the report notes any factor that may have influenced your result. Every reference used is named and cited.
Reports are individualised, so not every section applies to every scan. A sample report is available to GPs, specialists and coaches on request.
Book your scan
Appointments available this week. Questions first? Anton usually replies the same day.
or call (02) 9518 3400