| The skinny (no pun intended)
For many patients using GLP-1 drugs, success is still defined by the number on the scale. But some healthcare experts say this is an imperfect proxy that can miss crucial changes in fat mass and muscle preservation. That’s why telehealth clinic Hone Health teamed up with BodySpec, a startup that provides imaging for body fat & muscle analysis. Under their partnership, which launched this month, Hone patients taking GLP-1s will get access to DEXA (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) body composition scans as part of their care. The goal is to give more people access to clinical-grade body composition data Precise data is better
A patient might see their weight drop and assume everything is on track, but weight alone doesn’t tell whether that loss is coming from fat or from lean muscle mass. A body composition scan makes that visible, which means the goal can become much more specific — not just losing weight, but losing fat while preserving muscle, said BodySpec CEO Elaine Shi. The scan allows the provider to tailor the plan accordingly, whether that means a greater focus on protein, adding resistance training or other strategies for sustainable metabolic health. Soundbite
“In a world where virtual care has made bloodwork, coaching and prescriptions much more accessible, people are still often judging progress on a consumer scale at home — and that is a very blunt instrument. It can tell you that your weight changed, but not whether you lost fat, lost muscle or changed something important about your health,” Shi explained. — By Katie Adams |
No comments