Doctors warn routine whole-body scans in healthy people can backfire

In short: Routine, AI-assisted whole-body scans are being sold to healthy people as “wellness tracking,” but medical groups say they often lead to unnecessary tests and worry without proven health benefits.

What's going on

Some companies and influencers are promoting regular whole-body scans, often described as AI-enabled, as a way to “track” health and catch disease early. These scans can include MRI, CT, or PET scans, which are different kinds of detailed body imaging (like taking a very high-resolution picture of the inside of your body).

In a New York Times Opinion video, internist Dr. Rachael Bedard warns that scanning healthy people who have no symptoms can create more problems than it solves. The issue is that these scans almost always find something unusual, even when nothing is actually wrong. Experts call these “incidental findings,” which means surprise results that are usually harmless (like noticing a small dent in a car that does not affect how it drives).

Research cited by Choosing Wisely Canada found that about 95% of healthy people had at least one abnormal finding on a full-body MRI, and most were not dangerous. But once a scan flags a spot, doctors often feel pressured to follow up with more scans, specialist visits, or biopsies (taking a small piece of tissue to test). Those follow-ups can bring cost, anxiety, and in some cases complications like bleeding or infection.

Major groups including the American College of Radiology and Health Canada say there is no solid evidence that routine whole-body screening in average-risk, symptom-free people prolongs life or prevents serious illness. They also warn that CT and PET scans use radiation, and repeated exposure can raise cancer risk over time.

What to watch

Expect more debate as these scan packages spread, especially around advertising claims, pricing, and whether “wellness tracking” crosses into medical screening without clear proof it helps.

Source: NYTimes