‘Safe, quick and painless’: what is a DXA scan, and do you need one for bone health?
Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry sends two low-dose X-ray beams through the body while you lie on a padded table and a scanning arm passes overhead, and specialists quoted describe it as safe, quick and painless. Its main job is measuring bone strength and mineral content to gauge osteoporosis and fracture risk, which matters most for people in their 60s and above, since a broken bone at that age can trigger serious health problems and long-term disability. The same scan can also estimate fat percentage, muscle mass and where fat sits on the body, which is why younger gym-goers are increasingly booking them for body composition rather than bone health.
What it shows: Reported by Guardian (health) and not verified by us: we could not trace this story to a published paper, so treat it as news rather than evidence we have checked.