See your muscle quality,
not just your weight.
A 24-second scan measures fat mass, muscle mass and muscle quality with accuracy validated against DEXA and whole-body MRI — so you and your doctor can see whether treatment is building muscle while it removes fat.
Losing weight isn’t the same as losing the right weight.
Weight-loss medication and calorie restriction can take muscle along with fat. The seca mBCA is one of the few tools that measures muscle quality — not just quantity — validated to within about 1% of DEXA for body fat.
Muscle quality, explained
Alongside how much muscle you have, the scan reads your phase angle — a marker of cell health that reflects how well your muscle is actually functioning. Two people with identical muscle mass can have very different muscle quality, which is why the number on a bathroom scale — or even a basic body-fat percentage — can miss what matters most during weight-loss treatment.
Five numbers your scale can’t give you.
& Quality
Water
Rate
DEXA-comparable accuracy, without the radiation or the wait.
Seca’s prediction equations are validated in peer-reviewed studies against whole-body MRI, the 4-compartment model, and DEXA across thousands of participants.
| Measure | Used at Health GarageSeca mBCA Ultra | DEXA | InBody |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technology | Medical-grade, 8-electrode, phase-sensitive, multi-frequency bioimpedance (BIA) | Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (low-dose X-ray) | Bioimpedance (BIA); design and electrode count vary by model |
| What it measures | Fat mass, muscle mass & quality, visceral fat, total body water, metabolic rate | Fat mass, lean mass, and bone density | Fat mass, muscle mass, total body water (segmental) |
| Radiation | None | Very low-dose X-ray | None |
| Validated accuracy | Within ~1% of DEXA for body-fat %; 97% correlation with MRI for muscle mass | Considered the gold-standard reference method; used to validate other devices | Can underestimate body fat by roughly 3% vs. DEXA |
| Access & cost | Quick, low-cost, repeatable often — in-office at Health Garage from $100 | Typically $150–$300; requires a specialised imaging center | Widely available at gyms; result quality varies by model |
DEXA remains the reference standard in research because it also measures bone density, which no bioimpedance device can. For tracking fat and muscle changes during weight-management treatment, the seca mBCA offers DEXA-comparable accuracy without radiation exposure — at a lower cost and with easier repeat access.
Three steps. Twenty-four seconds.
Step on the platform
Barefoot, in light clothing. No fasting or special prep required.
Hold the handles
A very low, imperceptible current passes through your body — you won’t feel a thing.
Review your results
Your report is ready in seconds, then reviewed with your doctor at your visit.
Your results, explained — with a plan to act on them.
A number on its own isn’t useful — so your scan doesn’t stop at the printout. Dr. Ahmed reviews your results with you, explains what each measurement means for your specific health goals, and builds this into your care plan.
- How your fat mass and muscle mass have changed since your last visit
- What your muscle quality reading means, and whether it needs attention
- Practical next steps — protein targets, strength training, and other adjustments to help you build muscle and reduce fat mass
Available whether or not you’re a Health Garage patient.
We recommend 2–3 scans per year to track fat and muscle changes over the course of your treatment.
Not a current patient?
You don’t need to be a patient of Dr. Ahmed’s to book this scan. It’s available as a stand-alone service to anyone — and a consult note summarizing your results will be sent to your own family doctor, so they stay in the loop on your progress.