If you’ve never read a DEXA report before, the first one can feel like a foreign language — segmental fat mass, Z-scores, T-scores, VAT in grams, FFMI. Most of it is more useful than it looks; some of it you can ignore. Here’s a section-by-section walkthrough of what each part of a DEXA scan report tells you and how to use it.

Page 1: Body Composition Summary

The headline page. You’ll see:

• Total Body Fat % — your overall body fat percentage.
• Total Fat Mass (lb or kg) — absolute pounds of fat.
• Lean Mass + BMC — everything that isn’t fat, including bone, muscle, organs, water.
• Total Mass — the scanner-measured weight (close to but not identical to a scale weight).

What to focus on: the body fat percentage and the absolute fat mass in pounds. The percentage is what people quote; the pounds is what changes when you cut or bulk.

Page 2: Regional Composition

This is where DEXA earns its money over BIA scales. The regional table breaks every value down by:

• Left arm / right arm — flag asymmetries from training or injury.
• Left leg / right leg — same. Particularly important for runners and lifters.
• Trunk — chest, back, abdomen.
• Head — usually ignored; included for completeness.

What to focus on: any >5% difference between left and right (arms or legs) is worth investigating. Could be from training imbalance, dominant-side preference, or a previous injury.

Page 3: Bone Density

You’ll see two scores per region:

• T-score: compares your bone density to young, healthy adults at peak bone mass.
• Z-score: compares to your own age group.

T-score interpretation (per WHO):

• T ≥ −1: Normal.
• T −1 to −2.5: Osteopenia.
• T < −2.5: Osteoporosis (clinical diagnosis).

If your T-score flags concerning, talk to your doctor — we don’t diagnose. The scan gives them the data they need.

Page 4: Visceral Adipose Tissue (VAT)

VAT is the deep fat that wraps around your organs. Unlike subcutaneous fat (the kind you can pinch), VAT is metabolically active and tightly correlated with insulin resistance, cardiovascular risk, and inflammatory markers.

You’ll see VAT measured in:

• Grams or cm³ (volume).
• Compared to age- and sex-matched ranges.

What to focus on: trend across scans. Even a 100–200g VAT reduction is meaningful for metabolic health.

Visceral fat moves first when you start a serious cut. You can lose 500g of VAT before the scale shifts noticeably — DEXA shows that, your bathroom scale doesn’t.

Page 5: Estimated RMR

Derived from your lean mass using validated equations (Cunningham, Mifflin-St Jeor). This is your starting point for nutrition planning. Multiply by an activity multiplier for TDEE — see our TDEE calculator.

Page 6: Percentile Bands

This is where same-scanner peer comparison matters. Most clinics show you generic age-matched percentiles from manufacturer software. We compare you against other clients on the same scanner, removing cross-clinic variability and giving you a more meaningful number.

Numbers you can mostly ignore

• Head body fat percentage. Mostly unchanging.
• BMC by region (Bone Mineral Content). Less useful than density.
• Trunk-to-leg fat ratio. Niche metric for clinical research.

If you’re a clinical researcher, all of this matters. If you’re tracking body composition for fitness or longevity, focus on body fat %, regional breakdown, VAT, and bone density.

What changes between scans

Comparing two of your scans, look for:

• Lean mass: are you gaining muscle? Losing it?
• Total fat mass (lb): trending down on a cut, up on a bulk.
• Visceral fat: direction matters more than absolute number.
• Regional symmetry: tighter or looser than last time?

BodyStats clients see all of this on their dashboard automatically — pull up the trend lines on your phone, no spreadsheet required.

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