Understand your body – understand your health
Understanding what’s happening within your body can be revealing. Tests like body scans, oxygen measurements during exercise and metabolic assessments show the truth behind your health, so you can see what’s working well – and what isn’t. And, like me, you might find the results surprising, writes Pippa Duncan
I am no health and fitness fanatic, but I do like to understand what is going on inside my body. I run two or three times a week for 3-4 miles, but am slow and useless at building up endurance. I eat mostly healthy, homemade food, but also have a weakness for chocolate and biscuits. I sleep really well (a solid eight hours), but still sometimes feel so tired I take an afternoon nap.
So I was really keen to find out what was happening on the inside that might help me map my future health. I headed to BodyView, a new wellness and longevity clinic in Richmond for DEXA (Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry) scans to look at my body fat, lean mass and bone density. I also did a V02 Max Test to look at my cardiovascular fitness and an RMR test, which measures the amount of calories my body requires to function at rest. As my consultant, Ashley King, who took me through the tests, said: ‘In previous years, these tests were utilised more by those who were very health-conscious or actually athletes, but they’re an excellent way for all of us to find out more about our overall health.’
So, what did I expect my results to be – and what were they?
Scan: Body Fat
Expectation: I’m slim-ish, but have love handles around my waist, so not sure what the results might be!
Results: While my body fat percentage is slightly above average, my visceral fat (spillage fat that can build up around organs such as the liver and pancreas once subcutaneous fat stores are full) was excellent. My visceral fat score was in the lower quartile of the data, at 22nd percentile, so much lower than average for my age, which was great!
Scan: Lean Mass
Basically, everything in your body that isn’t fat – muscles, organs, bone, skin. It’s a key indicator of health and fitness as muscle and organs have a higher metabolic rate than fat.
Expectation: I’m relatively fit, so expecting to be pretty average.
Results: My score here unfortunately came in well below the average. I hit the 2nd percentile… 2nd! And for my arms and legs it was even worse – 1st percentile. I’m really shocked. This means I have poor musculoskeletal health, which is linked to weakness, fatigue (maybe the reason for those naps) and metabolic inefficiency. An exceptionally poor result.
Scan: Bone Density
A Z-Score compares my bone density to other women of the same age and ethnicity and a T-Score compares my results to that of an average 25-year-old – to see how much it has deteriorated.
Expectation: My sister has osteoporosis, but I’m hoping the running will really have helped me to avoid this.
Results: For the whole body scan, the results were average, which was good news. And then I saw the more detailed results for the scans of my lower back and pelvis, which are crucial for diagnosing osteoporosis and predicting the chance of fractures. My lumbar T-Score showed I had osteopenia (bone density below a normal level and an increased risk of fractures). And the chart showed if I didn’t do something about it, I was headed for osteoporosis. My T-Score for my hips was low normal, although sliding in the wrong direction towards osteopenia. I was told this better result was probably due to running. I’m very aware that not only would it be difficult to get a test like this on the NHS, it probably would have been a long wait.
RMR Test (Resting Metabolic Rate)
RMR is the number of calories the body needs to perform basic functions such as breathing, circulation and cell production while at rest – ie, the minimum energy required to sustain life.
Expectation: No idea!
Results: I need 998 calories a day to maintain minimum function at rest. If I want to gain muscle (I need to!) then I need to increase my calorie – and particularly protein – intake from what it is normally.
Vo2 Max Test
This test measures the body’s maximum oxygen uptake during intense exercise – and involves running as fast as possible on a treadmill with a mask, analysing oxygen inhaled v carbon dioxide exhaled.
Expectation: I’m a slow runner and do not have great endurance, so not expecting a great result.
Results: My fitness level is ‘Superior’ compared to females of my age and above. I’m not sure if that’s actually saying much, but I’m really pleased. It means my aerobic capacity is excellent and if I push my limits rather than worrying that I can’t, I can increase my lean mass and build up those weak muscles.
What have I learned?
Overall, my Longevity Health Index Performance is, well, healthy – 78/100, with great results for cardiovascular fitness and low visceral fat percentage. The concerns are that my lower back is at risk of osteoporosis and my arm and leg muscles are weak, meaning I will be more prone to fractures and falls later in life.
What can I do?
To improve my muscles and bone density, I need to be eating far more protein than I am (although I had thought I was already pretty good at this). I’ve been advised to eat 100-110g of protein a day. This is actually really hard, so I’ve had to buy some whey protein (delicious vanilla crème flavour) but don’t like that I feel I’m eating all day.
To strengthen my bones, it is really important to do strengthening and weight-bearing exercises, so I have joined a gym and will also look at taking calcium supplements. I’ve been advised to talk to my GP about what else might help. I’ll definitely be going back in the future to see if what I am doing is helping to prevent osteoporosis.
BodyView is at 26-30 Paradise Rd, Richmond TW9 1SE. bodyview.co.uk