SS 165 – Measuring Body Fat w/ Adam from DexaFit
Episode 165 Show Notes
Today, Grant and Heavey are joined by Adam Kadela from DexaFit, as they discuss DEXA scans, the gold standard of body composition analysis. If you want to know how much body fat you’ve lost, then this is the real deal.
Referring to themselves as the “citizen’s science lab,” DexaFit is making body fat testing and measurements accessible to everyday people so you can take ownership of your own health.
But first, a special shoutout to today’s sponsor Health IQ. They offer the best rates for life insurance for health-conscious people, ideal for weight lifters, runners, and the likes.
[02:10] The Man Flu or Are Men Just Being Babies?
Man flu is those of us of the “male persuasion” getting more sick than our female partners. It’s like you have a cold that knocks you out and can’t get out of bed. You whine and cry, wanting somebody to take care of you. On the other hand, if your better half gets sick, they’re up and about dealing with life.
There was actually a British study published that looked deeper into this. They found that men truly are more affected by these commonplace viruses. On the other hand, women naturally have a stronger immune response, which they have to, since they have to feed the babies or recover while pregnant, etc.
So while women think that men are just being babies, there must be a biological factor for this. Heavey admits that when he gets sick like once a year, he gets knocked out for three to five days.
Epidemiological data from Hong Kong shows that men are more likely than women to be admitted to a hospital for any reason between 2004 and 2010. They correlated that with the U.S. study that found higher rates of flu-related deaths for men than women for ten years between 1997 and 2007.
Grant also adds that they found that testosterone while being anabolic, also has an immunosuppressive effect. They found this in mice and other animals along with cell cultures. This higher level of testosterone, while it increases physical strength, can also make you more susceptible to these common colds and sickness, making you feel worse.
[05:45] About DexaFit
Adam explains that what DexaFit does is they’re the citizen’s science lab for people to carry out their own sample size of one. Everybody is different and different things work for different people.
They’ve practically seen every type of thing people believe or think will get them in better shape. These people come through their doors and will get to see their body composition using the DEXA scanner, the gold standard of body composition analysis. It measures your body fat, lean mass, bone mass, visceral fat, the whole distribution (left side/right side) of the body.
[06:45] How DEXA Scanning Works
Using two low-dose x-rays, they take pictures of each region of the body. The printout shows you a little avatar of yourself. You can see where in your body you’re storing fat, muscle, bone – and how much of it.
Adam likens this to a canary in the coal mine. Fat is your visceral fat. The DEXA measures the core scan which shows how much visceral fat you’re carrying. This is the fat stored around your organs. It’s the one most people care about since this is the one correlated to your health – hormonal imbalances, metabolic syndrome, etc.
People might look good on the outside with a low body fat percentage but when you measure and see their visceral fat is pretty high, that could be a cause for concern.
Adam says the DEXA scanning is what gets most people through the doors or care about when they try a new diet or a new fitness plan to track their general health.
[08:00] Making It Accessible to the General Public
DEXA scan technology has been around for a while but it’s been primarily used in a research university setting. DexaFit is now taking this into the mainstream to make it available to the general population. At one point in time, Heavey tried to get a DEXA scan done for himself. He contacted the local research hospital but he was being charged $300, which was more money than he was willing to pay for the process.
Adam explains that while health issues are on the rise, technology has been in deflation for decades. Prices are only coming down. There is so much information that people should get about themselves, given the innovation we have in technology.
Adam founded it back in 2011 and having a sports background, has always had access to this kind of technology. Anything to measure and understand the body and fitness level in order to optimize their programming is what they used when they were playing.
Today, DexaFit is bringing this technology to the public along with VO2 Max testing, metabolic health testing, and blood panel testing. They try to do this at a more affordable rate as they bring the cost down and making it available for people to come in and take ownership of their own health.
[12:10] DEXA versus Electrode Sensors
One big difference that makes DEXA more accurate than other scales is the direct measurement. The DEXA uses two low-dose x-rays to take a picture of your body. One understands exactly what you’re composed of. The other one used more is the body density equations and trying to take certain algorithms, which are more calculated measurements using a lot of estimates.
As with using a bioimpedance, additional variables can influence the effects with a wider margin of error when you measure with something like that. When you come back to measure it again for your follow up, the precision between your baseline and your follow-up could just be wildly off.
With DEXA, they’re taking a direct measurement which uses the precision between the tests you’re getting. More often than not, you’d be surprised about what the number is. There is actually a misconception to what your body fat actually is. Some might say you have 7% body fat, but when you get them on a DEXA scanner, it’s probably a little bit higher or vice versa.
The reason it’s important to get on a DEXA scanner is to understand where you are. If you go back on that after you go on a fitness or nutrition program, when you come back and get your follow up, you’re going to know that you lost fat with confidence.
[16:00] DEXA vs BodPod
BodPod is another displacement test that uses air. This is considered by many to be an extremely accurate measuring system. Heavey cites a study that compared this to DEXA to a wide range of people with different BMIs.
The study found that people with the lowest BMI, while DEXA was averaging around 8% body fat, the BodPod had them up at 16%. For the middle BMI group, the DEXA had them in at about 20% and the BodPod was averaging at 22%. So it comes out a little more accurate for the middle BMI group. For the highest BMI group, DEXA had them at about 34% and BodPod at 32%, which is pretty close too.
Based on the study, the result could be worse for those people with the lowest body fat percentage.
There are other diagnostic imaging systems out there like the MRI that are much more expensive and not as fun to do. For Adam, the DEXA scanner, you only get to lay on the table for about 6-7 minutes, fully clothed. (Grant prefers getting it done unclothed though.)
That said, DEXA scanning is very simple to do and is the most accurate that you can get.
[19:30] How Long and How Much is DEXA Scanning
A Dexa Body Fat test takes about 30 minutes when you schedule, but the test itself is only about 6-8 minutes when you’re laying on the scan table. Then you will do a consultation with one of their technicians. They will review the results available immediately and they will talk you through it. So the entire appointment lasts for about 20-30 minutes.
The regular price is $150. But they also have plans available: Basic Plan for $5 a month and Starter Plan for $29 a month. You will get four DexaFit tests you can use throughout the year for $29 a month plus a monthly 3D body scan. Most people will do quarterly body composition tests with the DEXA. So they do four of these throughout the year. Adam says it’s the sweet spot to know that what you’re doing in the gym or in the kitchen is paying off. You’re not going to go too long, not knowing if it’s working or not.
[21:45] DEXA versus 3D Body Scan
The DEXA scan shows you what’s going on on the inside. It shows your bone mass, lean muscle mass, and fat mass.
While the 3D Body Scan is like a tape measure on steroids, which gives you a complete breakdown of all your measurements on the outside to see how your body is changing. You’ve got an avatar that breaks down exactly how your body has changed.
[22:42] Does DexaFit Set Up a Fitness/Diet Plan for You Too?
Adam makes this analogy of DexaFit as an accountant. They help show you what you’re doing and if it’s working or not. They reveal the fads from the frauds. Then they can put you in touch with people they know can get you results. They could also give you some insights into what they see has worked having seen people from each side of the spectrum.
Some people are referred to them by professionals like doctors, trainers, or coaches. Some people come in with no clue what they want to do or who to talk to. They can help people find somebody to work with. They won’t give you a prescription but they can help you learn your story and provide you some guidance on what you can consider doing or which people to talk to. They have a vast network of professionals that have been proven to get results with their testing.
[26:00] How Adam Got Into this Business
Having an athletic background, playing for Northwestern University, he has always had access to these kinds of tools to help them perform at the highest level. He finished grad school and took a trading class in college, with a business minor. He did a few interviews until he landed a job at a small training technology firm. They built their own technology and created more across the globe.
He had no technology background at that time and learned just by doing. He worked with a lot of developers. One of their old mentors from Northwestern asked them to put together a system to help overhaul their nutrition program and add some cutting edge sports performance type programs. They ended up putting together this system that would have required very accurate measuring systems and they wanted to utilize DEXA scanning. They then had this Eureka moment where they realized this could be something that everyday people would want to do.
What he used to do as something on the side while working at a trading firm, turned out to be something that has now grown huge. In 2014, he left his training job and the rest is history. Today, DexaFit has 24 locations across the country, including Florida, New York, and three spots in California.
[32:35] DexaFit in the Realm of Crossfit and Companies
DexaFit also works with gyms where they do a lot of competitions. This is an objective way for men and women to compete for the best transformation. They calculate this with a leaderboard and can show exactly who made the best body comp improvement.
They also help companies with their corporate wellness and do a lot of company competitions since they’re HSA- and FSA-eligible.
[33:40] Adam’s Personal Story
Adam underlines his personal story which was to open up DexaFit from a sports performance angle but also offer this to everyday folks. He also shares having an autoimmune disease called Hashimoto’s and he almost had to diagnose it himself. He had been going to his doctor for years and they just kept pushing pills on him. His dose just kept going up and up. Hashimoto’s is disease that attacks thyroids so you eventually develop hypothyroidism.
After much reading trying to figure out his condition, he ultimately had to ask his doctor to do these tests. He did separate consultations with doctors offering remote consultations. This was back in 2009 when everything was too expensive and not really easy.
So what he envisioned DexaFit to become was a “citizen’s science lab” where you can go and get the type of testing that was very difficult for him to get at that time when he was going through his personal struggle. Now, they have a lot of these testing exams available from thyroid testing to women’s health blood panel test, food sensitivity test, DNA test, to cardiovascular fitness tests, metabolic rate test, DEXA body comp and bone test.
Their goal is to find a much more affordable way for people to get this information without having to be at the mercy of a doctor who just doesn’t understand. They seek to find better questions to help them take more ownership of their own health and their own recovery.
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