In conjunction with World Osteoporosis Day (20th October), Anlene Malaysia recently conducted a survey among 320 Malaysians aged between 40 to 59 years on their awareness and viewpoint on bone care and health in general.
From the feedback, 95% of respondents are understandably concern about their bone health and how it will affect their strength and mobility in their silver years. Even for us millennials, it’s a legit concern for our elderly parents who aren’t as mobile as they once were.
From the survey, Anlene gathered the top 3 contributing factors for their concerns:
- Lack of exercise
- Insufficient exposure to sunlight (for production of vitamin D in the body to aid calcium absorption)
- Avoiding dairy products (which are daily sources of calcium) in their diet
It is also understood that while many understand the importance of having strong bones, 42% of them are currently placing a higher priority on protecting themselves from Covid-19. Meanwhile, 30% of them shared that they’re doing their best to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
“From their responses, we found there are still gaps in their understanding of bone health, especially when it comes to areas of bone care and whether they are doing enough to support their bones, which work together with joints and muscles to help us move and live our daily lives,” said Puan Megawati Suzari, Director of New Product Development, Scientific & Regulatory Affairs at Fonterra Brands Malaysia.
Megawati advised: “Malaysian adults can take care of their bone health by doing regular exercises to help build muscles and maintain strong bones; and eating a balanced diet that contains important nutrients, such as calcium, vitamin D and protein. Maintaining body weight within a normal range of body mass index is also important, as being underweight (Body Mass Index of less than 19kg/m2) may affect our bones.”
For those that don’t know the appropriate amount of calcium and vitamin D to take daily, Megawati further explained: “Adults are advised to consume 1000 – 1200mg of calcium and 15 – 20mcg of vitamin D in a day, as part of their daily bone care routine. However, many are not aware that, in a typical diet that is lacking in calcium rich foods, it may be difficult for us to meet our daily calcium needs. For example, we may need to consume 200 – 240 bowls of cooked rice to get all the daily calcium we need.”
Calcium can be found in food sources such as milk, leafy green vegetables, anchovies, soy products or other calcium fortified products. While vitamin D can be found in fatty fish (e.g. salmon, sardine), egg yolk and vitamin D fortified products including milk.
Studies have shown that those who consumed 2 glasses of milk added with MFGM (Milk Fat Globule Membrane) and essential nutrients together with regular exercises everyday, had 2 times the improvement in flexibility, 3 times the improvement in balance and 40% more improvement in muscle mass compared to control.
As strong bones are one of the foundations to support mobility, find out what is your Move Age by assessing your posture, strength, flexibility and balance with the Anlene Move Check online quiz https://movecheckquiz.anlene.net.my/ .
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