Body Composition Test in London
Accurate analysis to establish clear goals and monitor results.
What does the Body Composition Test measure?
The assessment covers the following areas of body composition and you will be presented with a PDF with your results in relation to norms and averages of similar populations accounting for gender, ethnicity etc.
Fat Mass
Total in kg, Body fat %, Visceral Fat and your Fat Mass Index.
Muscle Mass
Whole body muscle mass in kg, individual limbs, and core.
Water
Total body water, extracellular water, and the ratio of both.
Phase Angle
Number and health of somatic cells. A marker associated to general health.
Energy
Predictive calculations for total energy expenditure and resting energy expenditure.
Other
Height, Weight, Waist Circumference, Fat Free Mass, Fat Free Mass Index.
Our body composition test with interpretation and a report is priced at £95.
Our body composition test with interpretation and a report is priced at £95.
What are the benefits of our body composition test?
Our body composition device allows us to repeat tests at any frequency due to no radiation exposure, and at a significantly lower cost compared to the likes of DEXA and MRI.
This SECA device has an exceptionally high accuracy and repeatability compared to gold standard assessments of body composition, and independent research data on the SECA device demonstrated its effectiveness vs all other forms of BIA such as the popular InBody Machines.
Within 98% accuracy compared to the gold standard 4C model for fat free mass
Within 98% accuracy for total body water in comparison to the D2O dilution method
Within 95% accuracy for extracellular water in comparison to the NaBr dilution method
Within 97% accuracy for muscle mass in comparison to the gold standard MRI
The device provides a non-invasive and highly accurate and repeatable method of assessment.
Our body composition experts are also on hand to review your results with you, so you have a clear and realistic goals.
MRI Validation Study
“The validated eight electrode, segmental multifrequency Seca mBCA is an accurate tool for measuring body composition”
“Due to its quick and non-invasive measuring procedure the Seca mBCA is a recommended tool for the estimation of body composition”
(Jensen & Kluckmann)
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition
“When compared with DEXA, MRI-based BIA equations are more accurate for predicting muscle mass”.
(Westphal Et al, 2017)
Body Composition Test FAQ's
1. Why assess body composition?
Accurately assessing body composition gives a clear understand of your goals. It allows you to feel confident in your targets and helps to motivate change.
In some instances, assessing body composition also helps to manage expectations and adjust perceptions of where we think our bodyweight should be! This can be a great relief for some clients who have been carrying around unrealistic and often unhealthy bodyweight goals.
Whether for health reasons or aesthetics, knowing what your body composition is allows you to set appropriate goals as well as track the success of the interventions you are making.
The amount of body fat and distribution of our body fat as well as your lean mass levels and water levels can tell us a lot about one’s health and potential imbalances or health risks that may be present.
Body composition is linked to and can influence several areas:
- Inflammation and inflammatory conditions
- Immune function and balance
- Hormonal levels and balance
- Cardiovascular disease
- Type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance
2. How do we assess body composition?
At Steve Grant Health we have looked at several different devices and methodologies for assessing body composition. This included looking at research on specific devices, their accuracy as well as balancing it with the practicalities of repeat measurements, invasiveness of the methodology, exposure to radiation, cost and so forth.
Having looked at all these areas we decided to add a medical grade SECA device to our clinic. This Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) device allows us to repeat tests at any frequency due to no radiation exposure, and at a significantly lower cost compared to the likes of DEXA and MRI.
As part of the assessment, you will be required to follow some basic pre-test instructions relating to water and food intake, exercise and toilet habits on the day.
When in clinic, you will undergo a height, weight and waist circumference before lying down on our treatment couch where we will wire you up to the machine.
Our machine is very non-invasive and just requires 8 electrode pads to be placed at specific points on both hands and feet. Therefore, you are not required to undress for the assessment, we just require bear hands and feet.
Your assessment will then be carried out by one of our body composition experts. As soon as the assessment is complete, we generate a report and sit with you to explain the results and discuss potential goals you could set.
Our team are then on hand should you wish in the future to schedule targeted body composition support sessions to help you achieve your goals. Each of our clients are experts in and extensive trained in supporting clients with body composition using nutrition and lifestyle.
3. How does our test compare to DEXA body fat scan?
Whilst the DEXA scan is a very accurate device for body composition assessment, it does not come without its drawbacks compared to our device.
To begin with, DEXA does not present a breakdown of muscle tissue vs water levels. For this reason, it presents just changes in “lean mass”. As a result, changes in water and glycogen levels are often misinterpreted as muscle loss. When people start to change their diet, significant changes in water and glycogen levels are very common.
Our device gives an accurate breakdown of muscle mass which includes the muscle glycogen present and separately your water levels, both as total body water and extracellular water. Our skilled practitioners are then able to clearly determine how your composition is changing. Our device actual comes within 97% accuracy of the gold standard of muscle mass assessment, which is an MRI scan.
DEXA scans also exposure you to a very low dose of radiation. For that reason, the frequency of assessment is limited to no more frequent than every 8 weeks. This means you cannot see shorter term changes that might guide your nutrition and lifestyle interventions.
DEXA is often seen as the gold standard for body composition assessment; however, this is untrue and inaccurate information. Gold standards for body composition are tissue dependant. For example, a DEXA is the gold standard for bone mass but not for any other tissue. This is why we chose a device that provides a high level of accuracy (between 95-98%) of the other gold standards of body composition.
Another benefit is the cost per measurement is cheaper than that of DEXA scans. We offer scans at £95 per individual scan with interpretation and report. DEXA scans in London are typically around £149-£199 for just the test, interpretation and results.
4. Are there any contraindications with our body composition test?
Whilst the research suggests that assessments with BIA is safe with all populations, we still currently operate a policy where the following clients are unable to do this test without the all clear from their specialist or medical professional. This includes anyone with the following:
- Pacemaker
- Defibrillator
- Nerve stimulator
- Within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy
5. What to expect from the testing process?
Once you have been booked in, a member of our admin team will send clear, pre-test instructions to you. However, to give you an idea on the process on the day, here is a summary.
We will first assess your height, body weight and waist circumference as well as ask some questions about your general daily activity and exercise demands.
You will then be asked to lie down for 5mins before the measurement takes place. This allows for water to distribute evenly. As you are lying down electrodes will be placed on specific sites on your feet and hands and data will be inputted.
It is important that you remain still during the measurement.
The measurement itself will take a couple of minutes.
After the measurement has taken place, your practitioner will talk you through the results, help you with realistic goals and following the session they will email over a PDF results document.
In all, you will spend roughly 20-30mins with one of our team at our London clinic based in Marylebone.
If it is a follow up appointment, we can create a comparison table which we will also share with you and discuss the differences seen from one measurement to another.
Karim
“In the first 5 weeks I lost 5.6% body fat and dropped 10kg in body weight. By the 6 month mark I had lowered my body fat by 13% and reduced my bodyweight by almost 30kg.”
Jonah
“I was required to undergo an emaciation process for a role. Steven Grant expertly facilitated this with incredible results, achieving it not only quickly but safely. Not only did we achieve our goals, but we worked together to come out of this extreme period and go back to a healthy, sustainable weight.”
Luke
In just 12 weeks Luke was able to lower his body fat by around 10%, whilst holding his lean tissue. As an actor he wanted to avoid gaining lean tissue and over the 12 weeks we were able to keep his lean tissue gain within 1kg of what it was when we started.
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