ONE IN THREE M'SIANS AT RISK OF DEVELOPING OSTEOPOROSIS - STUDY

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 24 (Bernama) -- One in three Malaysian adults is at risk
of developing osteoporosis, according to a recent bone-scanning programme.

The programme, conducted by bone nutrition expert Anlene in Malaysia, also
found that incidence of osteoporotic hip fracture was highest among Chinese
Malaysians, followed by Malays and Indians.

It found that 71 per cent of post-menopausal Malay women were not getting
their daily Vitamin D requirement, the company said in a statement here
Wednesday.

The programme, part of Anlene's Asia-wide bone-scanning programme conducted
on 1.8 million people since 2005, is in line with the key findings of a major
report released by the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) at the World
Wide Conference of Osteoporosis Patient Societies in Beijing.

The results of the programme are also in line with a recent study conducted
by Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and the University of Otago, New Zealand,
which revealed that less than 50 per cent of Malaysian women are getting their
required calcium needs.

Meanwhile, John Mckay, general manager of Fonterra Malaysia (Fonterra is
Anlene's parent), said the studies were crucial to building a better
understanding of looming bone health problems in Malaysia and other countries in
Asia.

"Our bone scanning has indicated that an increasing number of people are at
risk of developing osteoporosis and IOF's findings show that the incidence of
hip fracture has already doubled or tripled in most Asian countries over the
past 30 years.

"This is an alarming figure. There is an urgent need for Asian countries to
understand more about this preventable disease and take action to fight it and
call for more public education and awareness about the disease," he said.

-- BERNAMA