Anyone who has hired a personal trainer or embarked on a weight-loss program has likely been subjected to the “pinch test,” underwater weighing or some other experience to measure body fat composition. Used to determine how far a person is from his or her ideal weight, the body fat composition can be a painful indication to some on how far they must travel on the road to weight loss. Still, it’s a necessary evil, especially for someone who wants to monitor the effectiveness of an exercise and diet program.

A relatively new procedure — not to mention painless and quick — to measure body fat composition is a DEXA scan. DEXA has been widely used for many years for bone density analysis.

“The person lies on a hard table and the machine scans over their lower back and hips, like an X-ray but the dose of radiation is very low,” said Doctor Howard Douds with Advanced Medical Imaging in Silverdale. Those at high risk of osteoporosis, including post-menopausal women, men in their 70s or patients whose medical treatments include steroids are usually referred by their physician to have a DEXA bone density scan.

The body fat composition entails a similar procedure but the machine scans the entire body instead of only half of it. “(The DEXA scan) wasn’t designed for that purpose but it is a fairly accurate test for body fat composition,” Douds said.

Because it’s not a medical necessity or preventative tool, insurance companies don’t cover a DEXA scan for this use. Nonetheless, it’s one of the most accurate methods — and there is no discomfort, said Doctor Manfred Henne of InHealth Imaging in Poulsbo. He said athletes or people in weight loss programs interested in such an accurate method may consider it but that most people may not because there are much less expensive ways for that purpose. After the body is scanned, Henne said, it’s a matter of specific calculations. It can take as little as a few hours to get the results back.

Some people may find the estimated cost of $100-$200 worth the expense, especially if they can avoid the pinching and the measuring or the underwater bouncing — and although the local imaging clinics don’t promote this procedure widely, they can offer it to anyone interested. Physician referral is not required since it’s not covered by health insurance plans.