Body composition · Östermalm, Stockholm
See how your body works — not just how it looks.
With the InBody we measure body composition, fluid balance and cellular health with medical precision. Objective biology you can track over time — radiation-free, in under a minute.
Short answer
A body composition scan measures what your body is actually made of — muscle mass, fat mass, visceral fat and body water — broken down segment by segment. At MediBalans we use the InBody, which also measures two clinically valuable markers a scale never shows: the ECW/TBW ratio (a signal of inflammation and fluid imbalance) and the phase angle (a measure of cell membrane health). The scan takes under a minute and is completely radiation-free.
What the scan shows
Six biological layers from a single measurement
The InBody sends a weak alternating current at four frequencies (5, 50, 250 and 500 kHz) through five body segments. The result is a direct measurement — no statistical estimates based on age and sex.
Muscle mass
Skeletal muscle mass per segment — arms, legs and trunk individually. Shows where strength is built and where it is lost.
Fat mass & body fat %
Total fat mass and body-fat percentage, separated from muscle and water — not just a number on the scale.
Visceral fat
The metabolically active fat around the internal organs — the depot most closely tied to metabolic risk.
Body water (ICW & ECW)
Water inside the cells versus outside them — the basis for both hydration status and the inflammation signal.
ECW/TBW ratio
The ratio of extracellular to total body water. An elevated ratio can signal inflammation, oedema or fluid retention.
Phase angle
A direct measure of cell membrane integrity and body cell mass — one of the most widely used markers of cellular health in research.
Inflammation & fluid balance
Inflammation leaves a trace in body water
During inflammation and fluid retention, the balance between water inside the cells and water outside them shifts. The InBody captures this as the ECW/TBW ratio — for the whole body and segment by segment, so one-sided swelling or oedema shows up early.
For us this is not an isolated number. It connects directly to the core MediBalans question: which silent immune activation is driving the underlying inflammation? Together with the ALCAT and CMA analyses, the body scan becomes an objective way to track whether inflammation actually settles as we remove triggers and rebuild the cells' nutrition.
Illustration. Actual values are interpreted individually by a clinician.
High φ → intact cell membranes. Low φ → cellular stress.
Cellular health
The phase angle — a window into the cell
When alternating current passes through tissue, each cell membrane acts like a tiny capacitor. The shift between current and voltage — the phase angle — reflects how intact and functional the membranes are. High values point to healthy, well-hydrated cells; low values to cellular stress.
The phase angle is well established in clinical research as a marker of cell membrane integrity and body cell mass, and has been studied as a prognostic marker across a range of conditions. That makes it a sensitive measure of cellular health — often before changes appear in weight or measurements.
This is exactly the level the MediBalans protocol works on: not symptoms, but the actual function of the cells.
InBody vs DEXA
Two methods — two different questions
DEXA (DXA) is the gold standard for bone mass and absolute body fat. InBody measures something DEXA does not — fluid distribution and phase angle — and is radiation-free, which makes it suitable to repeat often. The methods complement each other.
How accurate is it? In studies comparing InBody with DXA, the methods agree closely — body-fat percentage differs by only about 3 % on average. And InBody gives almost exactly the same result every time you stand on it, which makes it ideal for tracking change over time. The InBody 580 is a clinical, FDA-cleared body composition analyzer (510(k), Class II) used in hospitals and medical practices.
| InBody (BIA) | DEXA / DXA | |
|---|---|---|
| Method | Bioelectrical impedance — weak alternating current | Low-dose X-ray (ionising radiation) |
| Radiation | None | Low, but ionising |
| Time | Under one minute | About 7–10 minutes |
| Suitable to repeat often | Yes — ideal for follow-up | Less frequently |
| Measures fluid (ICW/ECW) | Yes — incl. inflammation signal | No |
| Measures cellular health (phase angle) | Yes | No |
| Bone mass / bone density | No | Yes — gold standard |
Body composition & chronic disease
What the body shows before the labs do
Many chronic conditions — metabolic, inflammatory, cardiovascular, sarcopenic — change body composition before they appear in standard lab tests. The body scan captures that signal objectively and measurably.
Elevated visceral fat, a falling phase angle and a shifted ECW/TBW ratio are not random numbers. They are fingerprints of the processes that drive chronic disease — often before weight, blood pressure or routine labs move. The body scan captures the signal. The MediBalans protocol finds out why.
| Process | What InBody can show | What it may reflect |
|---|---|---|
| Metabolic dysfunction | Visceral fat ▲ · low muscle mass | The pattern of visceral fat and muscle loss that research associates with reduced insulin sensitivity and metabolic risk. |
| Sarcopenia & ageing | Segmental muscle mass ▼ · phase angle ▼ | Loss of muscle and cell mass — linked to frailty, fall risk and impaired glucose control. |
| Chronic inflammation & autoimmunity | ECW/TBW ▲ · phase angle ▼ | Fluid shift and cellular stress that accompany systemic, low-grade inflammation. |
| Cardiovascular & renal load | ECW/TBW ▲ (whole body & segment) | Fluid overload and oedema that can accompany cardiac and renal strain, visible even one-sided per segment. |
| Metabolic liver load | Visceral fat ▲ | Visceral fat that research associates with increased metabolic load on the liver. |
| Cellular stress & impaired recovery | Phase angle ▼ | Reduced cell membrane integrity — in research a prognostic marker across a range of chronic conditions. |
None of these markers makes a diagnosis. They are non-specific signals that something systemic is underway — and the starting point for finding out why. That is where the MediBalans protocol takes over: we link the scan to your ALCAT, CMA, lab and genomic data to find the real cause, address it, and then measure that the body responds.
Selected research. ~3 % deviation in body-fat % vs DXA: Front. Nutr. 2024. High test-retest reliability (ICC ≥0.98): J Clin Densitom 2018. Strong InBody-vs-DXA agreement: Korean validation 2022.
Body composition scanning with InBody is a tool for analysing body composition, not a diagnostic instrument for any individual disease. The associations stated are general and based on published research. Interpretation is always done individually by a clinician together with your wider clinical picture.
Within the MediBalans protocol
Measurable biology, from baseline to change
Standard medicine lowers a number and silences a symptom. MediBalans does the opposite — we reactivate the body's capacity to adapt, and we measure that it happens. The body scan is the proof over time.
Establish the starting point
We set your baseline: body composition, ECW/TBW and phase angle — linked to your lab and genomic data.
Targeted action
We remove immune triggers, restore intracellular nutrition and rebalance methylation — based on your specific biology.
Measure the change
We re-scan to see whether inflammation settles, cellular health rises and body composition moves in the right direction.
Frequently asked
Questions about body composition scanning
What is the difference between a body scan and an ordinary scale?
Does the scan hurt or involve any radiation?
What is phase angle and why does it matter?
Can a body scan show inflammation?
Is InBody better than DEXA?
How often should you have a body scan?
Where do I have the body scan done?
Price
Body scan with clinical walkthrough
InBody scan with a result walkthrough by a clinician.
Book
Get your baseline. Track your biology.
Book a body composition scan at our clinic in Östermalm — as a standalone measurement or as the first step in a full MediBalans investigation.
- Address
- Banérgatan 10, 1 tr, 115 23 Stockholm
- Phone
- +46 72 319 50 70
- info@medibalans.com
- Hours
- Mon–Fri 08:00–17:00
Book online
SEK 450 incl. a 15-minute consultation. Choose a time directly in the calendar, or call us and we'll help you further.
Open the booking calendar