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Weight-loss medicines such as Mounjaro (tirzepatide) and semaglutide can help people achieve significant weight loss. But when the number on the weighing scale falls, an important question remains:
How much of the weight lost is fat, and how much is lean tissue?
This is where Whole Body DEXA (DXA) body-composition analysis can provide useful additional information.
Start With a Baseline
A DEXA scan before or near the beginning of treatment can establish your baseline body composition. It can provide information about:
- Total fat mass
- Lean soft-tissue mass
- Regional fat distribution
- Bone mineral measurements
- Visceral adipose tissue estimates
This gives you a reference against which future changes can be compared.
Don't Just Track Weight—Track Body Composition
Two people can each lose 10 kg, but their body-composition changes may be very different. One may lose predominantly fat while maintaining relatively more lean tissue, while another may experience a greater reduction in lean mass.
The weighing scale cannot show this difference. DEXA can provide a more detailed picture.
Research on GLP-1 and related therapies indicates that while much of the weight lost is fat, lean mass can also decrease, and the proportion varies between individuals.
This makes monitoring body composition potentially useful during substantial weight loss. The doctor can use the data to change your protein intake or add strength training if you start losing muscle.
Consider Follow-Up DEXA
A repeat DEXA after a meaningful period of weight loss can be compared with the baseline examination to objectively assess how body composition has changed.
This information can complement other aspects of treatment, including nutrition, adequate protein intake, resistance exercise, physical activity and clinical assessment.
The Goal Is More Than a Lower Number
Successful weight management isn't simply about making the scale go down.
It is about achieving healthy fat loss while maintaining as much beneficial lean tissue as reasonably possible, while also considering bone and overall metabolic health.
Before starting or during a medically supervised weight-loss journey, ask not only “How much weight have I lost?” but also “What have I lost?”
Whole Body DEXA can help provide that missing piece of the picture.
SHIVI Imaging Centre
Digital X-Ray • Ultrasound • Colour Doppler • Advanced DEXA Scan • OPG • Mammography Centre
📍 #660, Sector 7, Near ITI College for Boys, Opposite Doctor’s Colony, Ambala City, Haryana, India