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Health: Scanner Shows Normal Weight Could Still Be "Skinny Fat"

By Stephanie Stahl

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Susan Reed was shocked when her doctor told her she was "skinny fat." She's active and does a lot of biking, plus her diet is mostly vegetarian.

"For BMI purposes, I fall right in the normal range," Susan said. "My weight has been normal for the past 25 years."

But Dr. Steven Goldstein says, "Your weight in pounds does not necessarily reflect how much fat you have, nor does it reflect where the fat is located."

Research has shown having a pot belly or being fat around the middle increases the risk for heart disease and other problems.

Fat is typically measured with a BMI, a body mass index score, but new research shows BMI charts can be misleading.

"Twenty percent of the people with normal BMI, normal height and weight, were greater than the 75th percentile for body fat. What we call the skinny fat," said Dr. Goldstein.

Susan had a modified version of a DEXA scan, the same scan that calculates your bone density and risk for osteoporosis. This special version detects all lean and fat body mass, and, most importantly, where you carry it.

That was Susan's wakeup call.

"I was shocked," Susan said.  "I've had no other indicators that that would lead me to think that it was a situation."

There are also "fat-skinny" people, overweight on BMI charts, but with fat composition that's normal and carried in so-called safer body areas.

The special body composition scan uses very low radiation, about what you get in a cross country flight. It runs about $185 and is not covered by insurance. It's available in most locations that have DEXA.

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