Kim Kardashian praised the Prenuvo scan for revealing a previously undiagnosed brain aneurysm. Hannah Britt tries it out. But is unlimited information about our bodies too much?
Move over designer handbags, the celebrity must-have in 2026 is a full body MRI scan. Yes, you read that right. Indeed, in 2026, health is wealth, quite literally, and the high tech check-ups are peppering the Instagrams of the rich and famous right now. Kim Kardashian praised the £2499 Prenuvo scan for revealing a previously undiagnosed brain aneurysm. Elsewhere, Holly Willoughby, Miranda Kerr and even Kerry Katona have posted about their MRIs online. But what exactly are they? Well an MRI machine uses a powerful magnetic field, radio waves, and a computer to create detailed images of tissues without radiation.
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A Prenuvo scan takes less than an hour to complete, and screens for over 500 different health concerns. It can detect cancers (as early as stage 1), solid tumors, and various structural or autoimmune conditions. It covers head-to-ankle to identify potential health issues early, offering a proactive, preventative view of your health.
A hypochondriac by nature, I jumped at the chance to have a go, and made my way down to the swish Prenuvo clinic in London’s Fitzrovia. But as I changed into a pair of navy scrubs and removed all my jewellery I had a moment of trepidation… What were they going to find?
And indeed the full body MRI scan has sparked concern from some experts. My sister, Ellie, is a doctor, and warned against it. “It could trigger health anxiety. People live perfectly healthy lives with things like undiscovered cysts. You could have something like that in your body and live your whole life never knowing about it. But a scan will reveal it, and give you unnecessary cause to worry. There’s a danger too that it will spark further, probably unnecessary tests and procedures to get to the bottom of something that was never an issue in the first place,” she told me. “On the other hand, if there is something nasty lurking, it will find it and you can deal with it early. That can only be a good thing.”
I took a deep breath and lay myself down on the machine. Once horizontal, a practitioner pops a sort of plastic case over your limbs, torso and head, locking you fast in place. Some headphones were set over my ears and a call button placed in my hand in case I needed assistance. There’s a two way tannoy system in the machine, so you can say if you need something, and they can tell you how long is left, or when to breathe in and out.
Above is a mirror that allows you to see the MRI’s opening, keeping any brewing claustrophobia at bay, as well as a screen showing a film or programme of your choosing, to keep you occupied for the 45 odd minutes you’re inside the machine. I chose the new Victoria Beckham documentary. Not that I heard much of it, as MRI machines are strangely loud.
As the scan begins the bed into which you’re strapped is sucked slowly into the MRI. It’s not the most relaxing spa treatment I’ve ever had… but it also wasn’t the worst. But the enclosed space was jarring at first, after a while I began to weirdly enjoy the clanking and whirring of the tunnel-shaped machine around me. I even started to drift off to sleep. You can tell the mum of two a mile off – any chance to lie down is better than none.
Once my hour was up, the radiographer released me from my plastic chamber and escorted me back to my room to change. “I can tell that you’re breastfeeding,” she said. “And that your baby prefers your right side.” Shocked, I told her she was right, already fascinated by the stories my body was telling from the inside.
Two weeks later, my results dropped onto the Prenuvo app. I was almost too scared to open them. But a quick glance reassured me that I probably wasn’t dying. And shortly after, a chat over Zoom with lead Radiologist and UK Medical Director Dr Tahreema Matin and Senior General Practitioner Dr Claudia Tailor confirmed I wasn’t going anywhere fast.
My body, they said, was in pretty good shape, although there was a little fat on my liver from a maternity leave spent eating chocolate cake. Elsewhere, a small cyst in my pancreas needs keeping an eye on for any growth as I get older, and a collection of squiggly varicose veins inside my pelvis triggered a referral to the gynaecologist. But other than that, I was in fine health. A relief. And relief dare I say worthy of a hefty price tag.
As Dr Matin and Dr Taylor ran through my films with me, it struck me what a privilege it was to see inside one’s body. There were my internal organs, usually hidden deep under my skin. It’s a fascinating glimpse into what’s going on. For a few days afterwards I thought about the cyst, horrified that it was sat there like a little intruder in my pancreas.
I tried to remember that less than 1% of pancreatic cysts turn into cancer. And as I write this a couple of weeks later, it’s still on my mind. But perhaps that’s a good thing. I can keep an eye on it. So would I do it again? Without a doubt. At £2499 a pop, there’s no doubt it’s an expensive pastime. But I’d rather invest in my health than a handbag.
*For more information and to book in for a scan, see prenuvo.com
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