Tony Orlando: Why Healthy People in Their 30s Are Losing Bone Density (DEXA Explained) | DSH #1814

Summary

Podcast Summary: Digital Social Hour

Episode: Tony Orlando: Why Healthy People in Their 30s Are Losing Bone Density (DEXA Explained) | DSH #1814
Date: February 7, 2026
Host: Sean Kelly
Guest: Tony Orlando (Dexa Plus)

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Episode Overview

This episode of Digital Social Hour dives into the growing issue of bone density loss among people in their 30s and 40s, a problem previously thought to affect mostly older adults. Host Sean Kelly sits down with Tony Orlando of Dexa Plus to discuss why DEXA scans are becoming essential tools for tracking bone, muscle, and fat—and what the biometric data means for anyone concerned about long-term health, weight loss, and disease prevention.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Rising Incidence of Bone Density Issues in Younger Adults (00:00–00:19; 02:41–03:57; 04:04–04:20)

• Bone density problems are now being observed in people as young as their 30s, not just in seniors.

  • “It can go even younger than that. We're seeing people in their 30s, cases that have bone density issues. It’s really prevalent more in women. ... Especially people that are petite, lighter weight, lower BMI index.”
    – Tony Orlando, [00:02–00:19]

• Correlation with body composition: Those with lower BMI or petite builds are at higher risk.

2. The Role and Importance of DEXA Scans (00:37–01:17; 01:48–02:41)

• DEXA scans give detailed, actionable insights on bone, muscle, fat, and especially visceral fat.

  • “We promote the importance of DEXA scans for bone, muscle, and fat. DEXA should be integrated in any weight loss program. It is the metric. It helps you change your life.”
    – Tony Orlando, [00:37–00:51]

• Recommended frequency: Tony suggests DEXA scans every 90 days for anyone on a weight loss, hormone, or peptide protocol for effective tracking and course corrections.

  • “Do it every 90 days ... to evaluate how well you're doing. And if you need to change course of direction, maybe add more resistance, exercise, tighten up on your nutrition.”
    – Tony Orlando, [00:57–01:17]

• Bone density is underdiagnosed in younger populations:

  • "In most cases, a female has to be 65 and a male 70 to qualify for a bone density scan. And ironically, there's many people in their 40s and 50s that already have osteoporosis and never been diagnosed or treated."
    – Tony Orlando, [01:53–02:41]

3. Why Visceral Fat Matters (01:17–01:48; 04:20–05:16)

• Visceral fat is a major predictor of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, and can exist even in young, seemingly healthy individuals.

  • “Visceral fat, as a lot of people know, is a high predictor of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. And ironically, visceral fat is not always connected to somebody that's severely overweight. It could be a young person like yourself that's in pretty good health.”
    – Tony Orlando, [01:28–01:48]

• Only a DEXA scan gives a reliable measure of visceral fat and bone health together.

4. Limitations of At-home and Other Tech (05:16–07:18)

• Home body composition scales are convenient but not reliable substitutes for DEXA scans.

  • "If you're going to do one of these bioimpedance tests or maybe these at home scales, these devices are good because it gives you real time data. It's convenient. But I would recommend to do that only in between your DEXA scans."
    – Tony Orlando, [05:16–05:49]

• Hydration greatly influences results of home bioimpedance tools.

  • “Your hydration level on bioimpedance technology is going to affect whether you're more fat or more lean.”
    – Tony Orlando, [07:03–07:17]

• Tips for accurate use: Use home devices consistently (same time/same conditions).

5. Making DEXA Data More Accessible (07:34–08:26)

• Dexa Plus offers a free app (dexascan.com) for tracking your health metrics.
• A web platform connects users with hundreds of providers for scans and follow-up health guidance.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On early bone loss:
  “We're seeing people in their 30s, cases that have bone density issues. It's really prevalent more in women. ... We're seeing a very high incidence in men as well.”
  – Tony Orlando, [00:02–00:19]

• On DEXA’s unique value:
  “DEXA should be integrated in any weight loss program. It is the metric. It helps you change your life.”
  – Tony Orlando, [00:37–00:51]

• On the underdiagnosis of osteoporosis:
  “Ironically there's many people in their 40s and 50s that already have osteoporosis and never been diagnosed or treated.”
  – Tony Orlando, [01:53–02:41]

• On visceral fat in young people:
  “It could be a young person like yourself that's in pretty good health. ... The only way to know if you have it is to get a DEXA scan done.”
  – Tony Orlando, [01:28–01:48]

• On home scale variability:
  “My body fat will be 3 to 5% different within three days.”
  – Sean Kelly, [06:56–07:03]

• On hydration effect:
  “If you're dehydrated, then it would impact it a lot.”
  – Sean Kelly, [07:14–07:17]

• On making health data accessible:
  “We have an app. It's dexascan.com ... and then you have all your information. Right. From your iPhone.”
  – Tony Orlando, [07:34–07:55]

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Important Timestamps

• 00:00–00:19: Bone density loss showing up in 30s and 40s
• 00:37–01:17: Why and how often to get a DEXA scan
• 01:28–01:48: Visceral fat as a risk—need for DEXA scan
• 02:41–03:57: Bone health underrepresented in younger adults
• 04:20–05:16: What to look for in your health data (bone and visceral fat)
• 05:16–07:18: Limitations of at-home bioimpedance/body composition tools
• 07:34–08:26: Dexa Plus app and finding scan providers

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Closing Thoughts

Tony Orlando underscores a crucial shift: bone density problems and dangerous visceral fat are affecting people younger than ever before, and traditional health metrics or home devices may miss the warning signs. The episode makes a compelling case for proactive, regular DEXA scans—not just as a one-off measure but as a key part of ongoing health management for anyone concerned with longevity and quality of life.

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Transcript

[A]

So there's bone issues in your set 40s now.

[B]

It can go even younger than that. We're seeing people in their 30s, cases that have bone density issues. It's really prevalent more in women. We're seeing a very high incidence in men as well. So especially people that are petite, lighter weight, lower BMI index. We're seeing a lot of correlation with bone density issues.

[A]

Drink your milk, guys. Okay, guys, Tony Orlando here from Dexa Plus. We are a 4M.

[C]

You got a booth set up here.

[A]

And we're meeting for the first time. So thanks for coming on, man.

[B]

Yeah, thanks for having me. Excited to talk to you today.

[A]

What's.

[B]

What's DEXA plus about DEXA Plus? We promote the importance of DEXA scans for bone, muscle, and fat. DEXA should be integrated in any weight loss program. It is the metric. It helps you change your life.

[A]

Yeah, I got one a couple years ago, and I feel like. Like, how often do you need to get them? Would you say you should really, as.

[B]

Part of a protocol, do it every 90 days?

[A]

Oh, wow.

[B]

So if you're on a weight loss program or whether you're doing hormones or peptides, you should really do your dexa scans every 90 days to evaluate how well you're doing. And if you need to change course of direction, maybe add more resistance, exercise, tighten up on your nutrition. So the DEXA helps keep you on the right track.

[A]

The reason I got one is because I was worried about visceral fat, and I got like a MRI on my abdomen region and there was a lot of visceral fat, so I wanted to see if it was in other areas of my body.

[B]

Yeah, absolutely. And visceral fat, as a lot of people know, is a high predictor of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. And ironically, visceral fat is not always connected to somebody that's severely overweight. It could be a young person like yourself that's in pretty good health. So visceral fat, the only way to know if you have it is to get a DEXA scan done.

[A]

Yeah. And how long do the scans take? For people that never got one, it's about five minutes. It's pretty quick.

[B]

So non invasive. You lay down on a table, you can be fully clothed. It's going to do a scan head to toe, and it's going to give you some really critical information. So it's going to tell you where all your fat is stored, your muscle. It's going to look at your bone health as well. And with bone density, that's another critical Health marker. If we want to live a long healthy life, we have to be concerned with our bone health. And it's interesting because in the insurance based medicine, in most cases a female has to be 65 and a male 70 to qualify for a bone density scan. And ironically there's many people in their 40s and 50s that already have osteoporosis and never been diagnosed or treated. So getting that DEXA scan, getting that total body scan through a lot of these wellness centers throughout the country is really the key to living a long healthy life.

[A]

So there's bone issues in, you said 40s.

[B]

Now it can go even younger than that. We're seeing people in their 30s, cases that have bone density issues.

[A]

Drink your milk, guys.

[B]

Yeah, drink your milk, do your resistance exercise, take your hormone therapy and get a DEXA scan to make sure those things are working.

[D]

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[A]

Quantum upgrade IO is it more prevalent in women? Because I know with women their bones are more brittle, right?

[B]

It is, it's really prevalent more in women. We're seeing a very high incidence in men as well. So especially people that are petite, lighter weight, you know, lower BMI index, We're seeing a lot of correlation with bone density issues.

[A]

What other concerning things are you seeing? Because you're probably seeing tens of thousands of DEXA scans, right?

[B]

Yeah, it's crazy. And the nice thing is it's getting attention. DEXA technology has been out for many, many years. Even the body composition features have been out for the last 15, 20 years. They're really been getting more attention over the last five or six. So being able to get your DEXA scan is part of your ongoing health regimen to see how you're responding to diet, exercise, like I said, peptides and hormones. So if we want to live a long, healthy life, we have to be very concerned with visceral fat. And you mentioned that, especially as a young person, these are things we should all be concerned about because a lot of people think, you know, I'm not going to have visceral fat. I run, I try to eat well, I'm not severely overweight. And really the only way to know is if you get that DEXA scan done. So I'd say the bone health and your visceral fat are the top two things you should be concerned. Right.

[A]

And you can't measure that on a scale.

[B]

You cannot. Now there's a lot of technologies out there that make claims to correlate to dexa, so it's interesting we're seeing a lot of that. And what I would say is if you're going to do one of these bioimpedance tests or maybe these at home scales, these devices are good because it gives you real time data. It's convenient. But I would recommend to do that only in between your DEXA scans. So get your dexa scan every 90 days and in between there's some very good technology that can show you that you're trending the right way. And plus you get that real time data.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

And then always followed up with a DEXA scan.

[A]

I agree because I've used not to call anyone out, but I've used like inbody because I go to lifetime and like I'll use it one day and then two days later I'll be still.

[C]

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[A]

It's like, is that even possible? You know, it is like my body fat will be 3 to 5% different within three days.

[B]

Yes. And part of the reason is your hydration levels. So the hydration level on bioimpedance technology is going to affect whether you're more fat or more lean.

[A]

So if you're dehydrated, then it would impact it a lot.

[B]

Absolutely.

[A]

That makes sense because I've used it like after sauna. So yeah, it messes up the results. Right.

[B]

So if you're going to use those kind of do it at the same time every day, do it based on whether you've eaten or fasted, and just do consistency if you're going to use those technologies at home.

[A]

And you have an app too, right?

[B]

We do. We have an app. So very convenient. It's dexascan.com it's a free download on the Apple Store. So anybody that wants to have their data at their fingertips, all they have to do is download that. And then many of our providers have the API built into the app. They press a button and then you have all your information. Right. From your iPhone.

[D]

Perfect.

[A]

We'll link that in the video. Anything else you want to touch on?

[B]

Yeah, I would just encourage everybody out there to get a Dexa scan done. We do have a web platform that connects hundreds of providers to thousands or millions of consumers out there called dexascan.com if you get on our website and you look for a provider in your area, chances are you'll have somebody that's very close to you that can provide not only the scans, but also guidance with diet, exercise, nutrition, all these different things that can help you live a long, healthy life.

[A]

Beautiful. We'll link it in the video. Thanks for getting there, Tony.

[B]

Great. Yeah. Great meeting you. Check them out, guys.

[A]

Peace.

[B]

Thanks.

[C]

I hope you guys are enjoying the show. Please don't forget to like and subscribe. It helps the show a lot with the algorithm.

[D]

Thank you.