The Surprising Role Fat Plays in Muscle and Bone Health
April 9, 2026 Fat, Muscle, and Bone Are a Unified System Bones are not solid — they contain living marrow and fat plays a complex
A DEXA (Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry) scan is considered the Gold Standard for determining body fat. It is widely recognized as the most accurate, reliable, and authoritative measure of your body weight distribution compared to other body fat scans or testing methods.
Unfortunately, most household scales don’t tell the whole story about your weight. A scale can’t distinguish between your body’s bone mass, lean mass, and fat mass; and neither does body-mass index (BMI).
As a matter of fact, it’s possible to lose fat and gain muscle, without losing any weight. In a recent weight loss study, some participants gained over 3 lbs of muscle while reducing body fat from 26% down to 22%. However, their weight remained the same.
A DEXA scan on the other hand will provide a much clearer picture of what’s going on inside your body. Not only will your body fat scan provide an accurate measure of your weight, but will also provide overall body fat percentage and differentiate between fat and lean mass. At Nomad Fit Lab, we’ll also distinguish between visceral fat (deep abdominal fat) and subcutaneous fat (fat under the skin).
This is important because studies have proven that when it comes to body fat, having too much can increase the risk of metabolic disease, especially visceral fat, which surrounds the abdominal organs including the stomach, liver and intestines. That said, it’s important to get an accurate measure of your body fat and a DEXA scan is considered the gold standard.
DEXA scans are highly regarded for their clinical precision with a low margin of error in body composition measurements, making it the preferred method for medical and research settings. DEXA scans have a very low error rate of 1–2%, whereas other methods like Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) or BOD POD machines have been shown to overestimate by up to 15%.
Most importantly, the DEXA scan shows how body fat and lean mass is distributed on your body and provides detailed information allowing you to see where fat is stored giving you a much more comprehensive picture of your body composition beyond overall body fat percentage.
A DEXA scan allows you to tailor your fitness and nutrition plans based on your specific body composition. This level of personalized care isn’t possible with a scale or BMI calculation. Switching your focus from BMI to body composition will help prioritize what truly matters: the type of weight you carry, not just how much you weigh. DEXA scan results are more indicative of metabolic health, physical performance, and long-term well-being.
Focusing on reducing fat while maintaining or building muscle will improve your metabolism, physical strength, and longevity. And the best way to get an accurate measure of fat and muscle is with a DEXA scan.
April 9, 2026 Fat, Muscle, and Bone Are a Unified System Bones are not solid — they contain living marrow and fat plays a complex
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