Meaghan B. Murphy Instagram – I’m #celiac, which means #gluten is the enemy, and I don’t sufficiently absorb nutrients from food. This often leaves me Vitamin D deficient w/o supplements. I worry about my bone density as a result. I was excited for the DEXA (dual x-ray absorptiometry) scan at @princetonlongevity to determine my osteoporosis risk. 🩻 How it works: A very small dose of ionizing radiation produces pictures of your body—hips, spine, wrist. 🦴The non-invasive scan then analyzes these pictures to calculate how dense your bones are or if you’re at risk for fractures. It’s the gold standard diagnostic tool for osteoporosis. DEXA also measures body fat percentage, fat mass and fat free mass. (More on that in a second.) Turns out my bones are strong! I got my BMC (Bone Mineral Content) number aka the amount of bone tissue your skeleton currently has, as well as a T-score. The T-score is the standard by which doctors measure your bone mineral density. You want a score of +1 to -1 because it indicates normal bone mineral density. I’m at a 1.5. YAY! The thing that did shock me was my Body Mass Index. BMI calculated by taking your weight in KG and dividing it by the square of your height in meters is total bull! That formula doesn’t account for body composition. You could have a body fat percentage of 10%, weigh 220lbs, have a height of 5’11, and be classified as obese. What?! DEXA is legit. It measures Fat Mass (amount of fat stored in your body in grams) and Lean Mass (skin, organs, muscles, water). Then it takes the sum of Lean Mass & Bone Mineral Content to come up with your Fat Free Mass. From here, DEXA determines what % of your body is composed of stored fat. Even though I am within 3lbs of my “ideal” weight, my total body fat was a surprising 26.7%. I was a little floored by that number. At my current weight of 128, I am made up of 34lbs of fat & 94lbs of lean mass. For optimal health, I’d like to swap 3lbs of fat for 3lbs of muscle. Knowing my aerobic capacity is at the 100th percentile for my age, this info is a nice nudge to do more weight training. Knowledge is power! Link in bio to learn more about PLC. #dexa #bonedensity #bonehealth #bodyfat #preventativehealth Princeton Longevity Center