Free DeXA scan and other tests in the UK

(Duncan Kerridge) #1

At Addenbrookes hospital in Cambridge - there’s a clinical research lab there that needs healthy volunteers to undergo a series of tests - they use the info to act as a control group for when they test unhealthy populations.

I was searching for somewhere I could get a Dexa scan or bodpod in the UK when I stumbled across this site : https://cambridge.crf.nihr.ac.uk/patientpublic/ccrc-studies/

My wife and I spent Monday afternoon and evening doing various tests : in a bodpod, dexa scan, some exercise tests, an overnight stay in a calorimeter and a heap of blood tests. The bodpod and dexa results they gave us straight away, all the others we’ll get when they’ve gone through all the data. And we got £40 each for the privilege!

So if you fancy getting a free checkup and some hard-to-find-in-the-UK scans give them a look!

The bodpod gave me a suspiciously flattering result of 13.5% bodyfat, I asked the doctor about it and she said it can get confused if you have heavy bones. The Dexa scan a few minutes later gave me a result I was expecting more - 21% body fat and also confirmed my bones are 10% denser than normal for my age. I’m officially big boned.

(Karen) #2

Lololo. Big boned. I loved that. Nice to have confirmation. Lolol

K

(Jack Brien) #3

Interesting. What was the meal they gave you? Were they happy with the keto aspect?

#4

What did they give you to eat? Was it keto and did you have an option to eat anything other than what was provided?

(Duncan Kerridge) #5

I told them we had been eating low carb, they were fine with that.

They did say that the meal would contain ‘some carbs’, would I be ok to eat it? No problem I said.

Some carbs…

IMG_0642
IMG_0642.JPG4032×3024 1.8 MB

Some = 80% I reckon! It was hard work to eat so much rice after all this time! Ah well. We were offered breakfast after they took our blood in the morning - everything was bread or cereal based so we declined.

(Duncan Kerridge) #6

We couldn’t eat anything else - the food was precise macros for whatever they were studying. Everyone gets the same food.

(Jack Brien) #7

Ok. Not the end of the world to have a carb up, but it’s a bit of a trek for me. How much is a dexa normally?

(Duncan Kerridge) #8

I found a place in London that does them for £65, but locally I was looking at £150+ for a dexa or bodpod

(Allie) #9

I have a local place that does them for £125

(Duncan Kerridge) #10

Having got such a crazy low reading from the bodpod I’m glad I hadn’t paid for one of them in isolation. However my wife did get exactly the same body fat reading from the bodpod and dexa.

(Hannah) #11

@Duncan_K Thank you for sharing! I’m very tempted to do this myself, and get my 10 year old to join in too

(Troy) #12

Not in the UK
But, $45…locally in CA

(Rob) #13

Great find! I’m seriously considering doing it.

Given that I still have around 10Kg of weight to lose, should I wait until I’ve lost it to see if there’s more (visceral fat) that I should lose, or go for it sooner rather than later?

#14

Great find and thanks for sharing @Duncan_K . Is this only for a limited time or can you decide the month /day you want the scan ? I would ideally like to do it in May. Thanks.

(Duncan Kerridge) #15

It’s a long term survey I think so I’d imagine whenever. You can’t just have the scan btw, you have to take part in the full series of tests / overnight stay, etc

(Jack Brien) #16

I think visceral fat is the first to go. The only time the body selectively reduces fat

(ianrobo) #17

thanks for that !!! that looks very good and have sent off my email

(ianrobo) #18

ah right, thats looks so ‘healthy’

(Vincent Hall) #19

Interesting, always wondered what my body fat % might be., I’d take keto food though.
Cambridge you say…
Thanks
\v/

(Duncan Kerridge) #20

Everyone gets the same food, that’s a controlled part of the study.