With false positives and benign incidental findings, full-body scans do little for preventive health

For a not insubstantial fee, many private clinics in the UK offer full-body MRI scans to detect disease and abnormalities at the earliest stage. Kim Kardashian and Kate Hudson are fans. (Other celebrity endorsements are available.)

So how do these scans work and are they “life saving”, as Kardashian suggests?

MRI produces 3D detailed anatomical images of almost every internal structure in the human body, including the organs, bones, muscles and blood vessels. MRI scanners create images of the body using a large magnet and radio waves. Unlike X-rays or CT, it doesn’t rely on ionising radiation, which can very slightly increase the risk of cancer.

Prices of full body scans in the UK range from £1,000 to £3,000. While they give a good basic overview of your anatomy, they don’t optimise the view of each organ or system. Any unusual findings would need to be further investigated by specialised MRI scans for things such as the heart and prostate. This is because the machine needs to be adjusted to different parameters to optimise the imaging of different organs and systems.

It’s important to note that MRI scans cannot detect most preventable diseases. Heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes are responsible for most deaths. MRI scans cannot detect these conditions. They may show some structural changes, but other symptoms...

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