( and sufficient exercise in building bo...)Beauty queens urge girls not to sacrifice their bones

The "IOF Beauties and the Bones" event is part of the lead-in to World Osteoporosis Day 2005, celebrated worldwide on October 20, which this year features the theme "Move it or Lose it" - the role of exercise in building strong bones". The theme for World Osteoporosis Day 2006 will be "Bone Appetit-the importance of nutrition in bone health".

Osteoporosis, in which the bones become fragile and break easily, is one of the world's most devastating and common chronic diseases. It strikes one in three women over 50 worldwide (more than breast cancer) and one in five men (more than prostate cancer).

At a related media seminar, IOF released a new publication "Move it or Lose it" which looks at the impact of weight-bearing exercise on building strong bones. Professor Helmut Minne, an IOF Board member and author of the report, noted that, among many dramatic conclusions, in girls the bone tissue accumulated during the ages of 11-13 roughly equals the amount of bone lost during the 30 years following menopause. Also, in one study, the most physically active young girls gain about 40% more bone mass than the least active girls of the same age. "Older people also benefit," he noted, pointing out that "exercising your back during middle-age can help prevent the vertebrae from weakening or fracturing when people get older".

The "IOF Beauties and the Bones" event was held in conjunction with the biennial IOF World Wide Conference of Osteoporosis Patient Societies. This event, also held in Bangkok, marks the first time that such a gathering has taken place in Asia. Some 200 delegates from IOF member national osteoporosis societies in more than 50 countries are expected to attend.

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Source:International Osteoporosis Foundation