BMI Does Not Tell the Full Story About Your Body (Especially in Boston)
A More Accurate Way to Measure Health With a DEXA Scan
Why BMI Fails to Measure True Health
Body Mass Index (BMI) has shaped health conversations for decades. While it is simple to calculate, BMI often fails to reflect the true state of your body. Its convenience comes at a cost: it overlooks essential details about your muscle mass, fat distribution, and metabolic health.
Two people can have the same BMI and be in completely different health categories. BMI cannot distinguish between:
Muscle vs. fat
Healthy subcutaneous fat vs. dangerous visceral fat
Bone density
Age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia)
Fat distribution in different regions of the body
Because of these limitations, BMI can give a misleading picture of your health.
Why BMI Misclassifies Athletes, Elders, and “Normal Weight” Adults
Look at athletes: many fall into “overweight” or even “obese” categories based on BMI, despite being extremely fit. Their weight reflects high muscle mass, not excess fat.
At the other extreme, many adults in Boston with a “normal BMI” actually have high visceral fat—the type that surrounds the organs and increases the risk of:
Heart disease
Type 2 diabetes
Chronic inflammation
Cognitive decline
Certain cancers
Older adults in particular often have normal BMI but high body fat and low muscle mass, a pattern strongly linked to frailty and mortality. On paper, they appear healthy; in reality, their body composition tells a very different story.
The Gold Standard: Why a DEXA Scan Gives You Real Answers
A DEXA body composition scan goes far beyond BMI. At DEXA Scan Boston, we use medical-grade DEXA technology—the gold standard for body composition testing—to measure:
✔ Total body fat and percent body fat
✔ Visceral fat around your organs
✔ Muscle mass in each region (arms, legs, trunk)
✔ Left–right muscle asymmetry, which affects injury risk
✔ Bone density and bone health markers
✔ Precise fat distribution by region
DEXA is vastly more accurate than handheld devices, smart scales, or fitness trackers. It gives you a clear, clinical-level picture of what is happening inside your body.
What Patients Learn From Their DEXA Scan Results
When people come to our Brookline office for a scan, they are often surprised:
Some discover they are healthier than they thought, with more muscle and less visceral fat.
Others learn they have hidden risks—especially visceral fat—that were not apparent from their BMI.
Many realize their previous tools (BMI, weight, scales) were never giving them the full truth.
With real data, people finally know how to:
Track progress accurately
Choose interventions that actually work
Understand whether diet, training, or medication is improving their health
Stay motivated with measurable, objective results
A DEXA scan replaces guesswork with precision.
If You Live in Boston, You Deserve Better Than BMI
Your health is not defined by a single number. It is shaped by:
Muscle mass
Bone density
Visceral fat
Fat distribution
Metabolic changes over time
These are the factors that truly predict long-term health outcomes—and DEXA is the only test that measures them all accurately.
Book a DEXA Scan in Boston
If you want a clear, precise understanding of your body, a DEXA scan is the most accurate, research-backed tool available.
👉 Book your scan at: DexaScanBoston.com
👉 Located in Brookline and serving the Greater Boston area
A full body composition analysis can help you measure, track, and transform your health with confidence.
