What Is an InBody Scan - And Why It Matters for Your Health Beyond the Scale
Understanding your body composition offers far more insight into your health than weight alone. To better support our patients' long-term health, we offer InBody scans to look beneath the surface and track meaningful changes in body composition. An InBody scan is a clinically validated tool that measures key markers of metabolic and physical health, including muscle mass, fat distribution, and visceral fat.
The scan is quick, non-invasive, and performed while fully clothed (just shoes and socks removed). It uses bioelectrical impedance, not imaging or radiation, to assess what is happening beneath the surface. Unlike a standard scale, the InBody shows you where fat is stored, how much muscle you’re building, and whether you’re carrying visceral fat that could raise your health risks.
What Is Measured
This advanced body composition analyzer provides detailed information about:
Skeletal Muscle Mass (SMM): This is your active tissue, essential for strength, mobility, metabolic function, and healthy aging. Research shows that maintaining healthy muscle can play a key role in staying independent as you get older [1]. Low muscle mass is associated with a higher risk of insulin resistance. One study found that a 10% increase in muscle mass was associated with an 11% lower risk of insulin resistance and 12% lower risk of prediabetes [2].
Visceral Fat Level: Visceral fat surrounds the internal organs. Higher levels are linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, and chronic inflammation. The InBody allows us to monitor this important risk factor over time. Research shows that people who have more muscle and less visceral fat tend to have a lower risk for conditions like high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and abnormal cholesterol levels [3].
Body Fat Percentage and Segmental Fat Distribution: These values help us assess where fat is stored in the body and how your body composition is shifting with changes in lifestyle, diet, or medications.
Total Body Water and Water Balance: This provides insight into hydration status and inflammation patterns.
Lean Body Mass: This is a critical metric associated with longevity as the preservation of lean body mass is a core part of healthy aging [4].
Why Body Composition Tracking Matters
As we age, many people experience shifts in body composition, such as losing muscle and gaining visceral fat, even if their weight remains the same. This change can drive insulin resistance, inflammation, and reduced mobility.
Tracking body composition provides more meaningful, personalized insights than the scale alone. It helps us:
Monitor visceral fat trends
Assess the effects of nutrition, exercise, and medications
Evaluate muscle retention and growth
Personalize fitness and metabolic health goals
Using InBody Scans to Guide Safe, Effective Weight Loss on GLP-1 Medications
If you’re using GLP-1 medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro or Zepbound as part of your weight loss plan, body composition tracking becomes even more important. While these medications can lead to significant fat loss, they may also result in some loss of lean muscle, which can impact metabolic health, strength, and long-term function.
By using InBody scans throughout your treatment, we can:
Track fat loss vs. muscle loss to support healthy body composition
Adjust your nutrition and exercise plan to preserve muscle
Reinforce the importance of protein intake and resistance training
Keep the focus on metabolic wellness and functional strength, not just the number on the scale
A Personalized Approach to Prevention and Wellness
Every InBody scan in our office is reviewed with you by a trained professional. We interpret the results in the context of your medical history, lab data, and personal goals. Whether you’re focused on weight loss, cardiometabolic health, healthy aging, or fitness, the InBody scan adds valuable information to guide your care.
If you’re ready to take a deeper look at your health beyond the scale, ask about an InBody scan at your next visit. We’re pleased to offer this to our members as part of our personalized approach to long-term health and disease prevention.
References
Ikeue, K., Okubo, N., Kogure, Y., Matsuura, H., & Takeda, R. (2022). Relationship between skeletal muscle mass and frailty in older adults: A cross-sectional study using ultrasound muscle thickness and bioelectrical impedance analysis. AIMS Medical Science, 9(2), 135–147. https://doi.org/10.3934/medsci.2022022
Srikanthan, P., & Karlamangla, A. S. (2011). Relative muscle mass is inversely associated with insulin resistance and prediabetes: findings from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 96(9), 2898–2903. https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2011-0432 PubMed Link
Park, Y., Lee, M., Kim, J., Lee, S., & Lee, Y. (2024). Lean mass to visceral fat ratio is associated with metabolic health: A population-based analysis. Scientific Reports, 14, Article 5181. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-88167-1 Full Text
Juan Li, Xiaoling Liu, Qing Yang, Wenying Huang, Zhibin Nie, & Yahai Wang. (2025). Low lean mass and all-cause mortality risk in the middle-aged and older population: a dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Frontiers in Medicine, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2025.1589888