An InBody scan estimates how your body weight splits into muscle, fat and water by sending a small electrical current, which the manufacturer describes as safe, through your hands and feet. The most useful numbers are skeletal muscle mass, body fat percentage, visceral fat level and the ECW/TBW water ratio, read together and compared with your own earlier scans. Most of those values are estimates, so how you prepare for the scan matters almost as much as the machine.
What an InBody scan measures, and what it calculates
InBody devices use bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). You stand barefoot on metal footplates and hold two handles while a low-level current passes through your body. Water conducts the current well, while fat resists it more, so the device can estimate how much of you is water, lean tissue and fat.
The most important thing to understand is what is measured and what is estimated. The manufacturer's user manual for the InBody570 lists weight, BMI, height and impedance as "actual" values, and muscle, body fat, body water, basal metabolic rate and visceral fat level as "estimated." The same manual lists the device's intended use as measurement in healthy people. Each estimate is a calculation built on a model, and it behaves best when conditions are the same every time.
The result sheet, section by section
Not every model prints every section, but most sheets include these:
- Body composition analysis: your weight split into body water, protein, minerals and body fat.
- Muscle-fat analysis: bars for weight, skeletal muscle mass and body fat mass, each against a reference range. The manufacturer's rule of thumb: the longer the muscle bar is compared with the fat bar, the stronger the body.
- Obesity analysis: BMI and percent body fat. Two people with the same BMI can carry very different amounts of fat.
- Segmental analysis: lean and fat estimates for each arm, leg and the trunk, useful for spotting a large left-right difference.
- History: earlier scans on the same device, side by side. For most people this trend is the most valuable part.
What the main numbers mean
- Skeletal muscle mass (SMM)
- What it is: Estimated weight of the muscles you can train
- Reference the sheet uses: Shown against a reference range on the sheet
- How to read it: Look at the trend across scans, not one value
- Percent body fat (PBF)
- What it is: Fat mass as a share of total weight
- Reference the sheet uses: Manufacturer range: about 10 to 20% for men, 18 to 28% for women
- How to read it: A manufacturer reference, not a diagnosis; BIA tends to read lower than DXA
- Visceral fat level
- What it is: Estimated fat around abdominal organs
- Reference the sheet uses: Manufacturer advice: keep it under 10
- How to read it: Each level corresponds to about 10 cm² of estimated visceral fat area
- ECW/TBW
- What it is: Water outside cells divided by total body water
- Reference the sheet uses: Manufacturer range: 0.360 to 0.390
- How to read it: Above 0.390, the manufacturer advises talking with a physician
- InBody Score
- What it is: A summary of lean mass and fat against a standard for your height and sex
- Reference the sheet uses: Baseline set at 80 points
- How to read it: A summary score, not a diagnosis
- Phase angle (some models)
- What it is: Described by the manufacturer as an indicator of cellular integrity and cell water
- Reference the sheet uses: Higher values indicate greater cellular integrity, per the manufacturer
- How to read it: Read it with a clinician, in context
Visceral fat level. InBody's own blog explains that a level of 20 represents 200 square centimeters of visceral fat, so each level stands for roughly 10 cm². It is a model-based estimate, not an image. A high level is a reason to talk about metabolic health, not a diagnosis by itself.
ECW/TBW. Fluid can shift outside the cells for several reasons, including swelling, an injury and some medical conditions. A value above the manufacturer's range deserves a look from a physician, not self-diagnosis.
Muscle and sarcopenia. Some sheets add a skeletal muscle index (SMI). The European consensus on sarcopenia (EWGSOP2) puts low muscle strength first and uses muscle quantity, which can be estimated by BIA, to confirm a diagnosis. A muscle number alone diagnoses nothing; strength and function matter as much, which is why a physician may also look at grip strength and fitness.
How accurate is InBody compared with DXA?
DXA, a low-dose X-ray scan, is a common reference method in research. In a study of 67 healthy adults, three InBody models were highly consistent from day to day, but all read body fat lower and fat-free mass higher than DXA. So do not compare an InBody number with a DXA result or another brand's device. InBody is better suited to tracking change on the same device: in a small study of trained adults, the change in body fat over four weeks was similar on InBody and DXA, even though the absolute values differed.
How to prepare so your results are comparable
Because BIA reads the water in your body, anything that moves water around can move your numbers. A 2022 study found that most of the methods tested, which included several bioimpedance devices, showed blunted or exaggerated changes when people were not tested under standardized conditions, such as fasted and rested.
The InBody570 manual asks you to stand for about five minutes first, not to eat beforehand (or to wait at least two hours after a meal), to use the bathroom, to skip exercise before testing and to test in the morning if possible. InBody's US website adds: test at the same time of day each time and keep your normal fluid intake the day before.
What about your period? Manufacturers have advised against testing when you feel you are retaining water, yet a study of 43 young women found no significant differences across cycle phases on four BIA devices. If you notice fluid retention at a certain point in your cycle, scheduling repeat scans at a similar point is a reasonable habit.
For the Organic Well Baseline, your InBody scan happens at Visit 1, and our booking page asks you to arrive fasting, with water only for 10 to 12 hours before your appointment.
Who should not have an InBody scan
The manufacturer's manual is clear: people with implanted medical devices such as a pacemaker, or with life-support devices such as patient monitoring systems, must not use the equipment, because the current could cause the device to malfunction. An implanted defibrillator (ICD) is also an implanted electronic device. The manual calls the current safe and low-level, but the company does not recommend testing during pregnancy.
Metal implants may skew the results, and people who cannot stand still or hold the handles may not be able to test. If any of this applies to you, tell the team before your visit so they can plan around it.
What to do with your numbers
A scan is most useful as a starting point and a way to measure change. Compare each scan with your own earlier ones on the same device, under the same conditions. Read it next to your blood pressure, waist and labs (see what advanced biomarker testing reveals). And ask what would change your plan: a useful review ends with a few clear priorities, not a list of numbers.
At Organic Well, the InBody scan is part of the Organic Well Baseline. In the words of our booking page, "An InBody scan shows your muscle, body fat and visceral fat, so progress means more than weight." Your scan and lab draw happen at Visit 1, and at Visit 2, about two to three weeks later, Elizabeth Isalguez, MD, walks you through your results and your personalized plan.
What the research says
- InBody vs DXA. 67 healthy adults (31 men, 36 women); InBody230, 720 and 770 compared with DXA on two days. All three were highly reliable, and all underestimated body fat and overestimated fat-free mass versus DXA. Limits: healthy volunteers only. McLester CN, et al. J Clin Densitom. 2020;23(3):443-450. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jocd.2018.10.008
- Tracking change. Exercise-trained men and women eating about 18% less for four weeks; InBody770 vs DXA. Absolute values differed, but the changes in fat mass, fat-free mass and percent body fat did not differ significantly. Limits: small, short, trained adults only. Antonio J, et al. J Funct Morphol Kinesiol. 2019;4(2):23. https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk4020023
- Preparation. Resistance-trained men over six weeks; many methods tested fasted and rested versus unstandardized. Most methods showed meaningful errors in measured change without standardization. Limits: men only. Tinsley GM, et al. Br J Nutr. 2022;127(11):1656-1674. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0007114521002579
- Menstrual cycle. 43 college-aged women; four contact-electrode BIA devices across four cycle phases. No significant differences; the authors say the devices "can be used at any time during a woman's menstrual cycle." Limits: young women, specific devices. Cumberledge EA, et al. Int J Exerc Sci. 2018;11(4):625-632. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5841670/
Also referenced: the EWGSOP2 sarcopenia consensus (Cruz-Jentoft AJ, et al. Age Ageing. 2019;48(1):16-31, https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afy169) and manufacturer information (InBody570 user's manual and InBody result-sheet guides), labeled as such where used.
See your own numbers
The InBody scan is part of the Organic Well Baseline, together with a lab panel and two visits with Dr. Isalguez and her clinical team. You can also read more on Know your numbers.
Book the Baseline or call (305) 930-8891. Visit 1 is in person at 3661 S. Miami Ave, Suite 1003, Coconut Grove, Miami.
