Where the testing is done
Measura
4477 Woodson Rd, Suite 201
St. Louis, MO 63134
Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
From St. Charles take Interstate 70 east across the Missouri River, continue past Interstate 270 and exit toward Lambert International Airport, then onto Woodson Road. Outside peak times the drive is around twenty-five minutes. The same route serves the rest of St. Charles County — St. Peters, O’Fallon, Cottleville and Weldon Spring all join I‑70 east of the bridge, and most of the county is within half an hour of the suite.
Is a body composition scan better than BMI?
A scale reports one number that combines muscle, fat, bone and water, and BMI divides that number by height. Neither distinguishes the things that actually predict outcomes.
Bioimpedance body composition separates fat mass from lean mass. That distinction changes interpretation regularly — a person whose weight has been stable for a decade while lean mass fell and fat mass rose has a materially different metabolic picture from what the scale suggests, and the scale never showed it.
Body composition versus BMI covers why the substitution is so misleading.
Why measure your metabolic rate instead of estimating it?
Most calorie targets come from a predictive equation using age, sex, height and weight. Those equations are averages, and individual variation around them is wide enough to matter.
Indirect calorimetry measures resting energy expenditure directly from oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production. Where a measured rate differs substantially from the predicted one, a plan built on the prediction was always going to underperform — and the person following it concludes they have failed.
That is the more common outcome of this test: not a dramatic finding, but an explanation. Metabolic rate and energy covers the interpretation.
How do you prepare for a body composition scan?
Because the drive is long enough to matter, most St. Charles County patients have the full assessment in a single visit rather than splitting it. That means an overnight fast, an early slot, and a plan for breakfast afterwards.
Bring the medication and supplement list. It is the item most often forgotten and the one most likely to change how a result is read — several common drugs affect autonomic measurements and metabolic rate directly. How to prepare covers the rest.
Frequently asked questions
Is this the same as a body fat scale at the gym?
No. Consumer scales use a single frequency and a generic equation. The measurement here is a clinical bioimpedance study interpreted alongside the rest of the panel.
Do I need to fast for body composition?
Yes for the full assessment, since hydration and a recent meal both shift the result. It is one of the reasons an early slot is preferable.
Can I bring the results to my own physician?
That is the intended use. Name them when you book and the report goes to them directly.
Is it worth getting a body composition scan?
It is when your weight does not tell the whole story. A scale combines muscle, fat, bone and water into one number, and BMI only divides that number by height. Someone whose weight held steady for a decade while lean mass fell and fat mass rose has a very different metabolic picture, and the scale never showed it. Bioimpedance separates fat mass from lean mass.
What does a body composition scan involve?
Here it is a clinical bioimpedance study that separates fat mass from lean mass. For the full assessment you come in fasting, since hydration and a recent meal both shift the result, which is why an early slot works best. The result is read alongside the rest of the panel, including measured metabolic rate, instead of being handed over as a single number.
Nearby communities
Medically reviewed by Dr. Gurpreet Singh Padda, MD, MBA, MHP, medical director of Measura. Last reviewed .