Would you give up five minutes of your time to ensure a better quality of life?

With one in three women at risk of developing osteoporosis

Anlene is urging women across the UAE to take control of their bone health and attend one of its free Bone Health Check sessions at the Mall of the Emirates, Dubai in the lead up to World Milk Day on 1 June. The free service is being offered from 10am to midnight on Thursday 31 May, Friday 1 June and Saturday 2 June. The Anlene team will be located in the cinema area of the mall.

The Bone Health Check programme is part of an ongoing initiative by Anlene to equip women with the information they need to improve their bone health. Last month, Anlene held ‘Move for Bones’ in The Dubai Mall where over 4,000 people learnt how to build stronger bones and prevent osteoporosis by trying out weight-bearing exercises including pilates and Zumba, completing a Bone Health Check and seeking advice from fitness instructors and nutritionists.

Women are particularly susceptible to bone related diseases for a range of hormonal and lifestyle reasons. Concerning statistics released by Anlene as part of its ‘Lifestyle for Lifelong Bones’ research in 2011, showed 60 per cent of women take only one hour of exercise or less a week, and nearly 20 per cent are never exposed to the sun, which is vital to source essential levels of vitamin D.

Kamal Gupta, Managing Director, Fonterra Brands Middle East and Africa says Anlene’s Move for Bones event and ‘Lifestyle for Lifelong Bones’ research are a number of ongoing programmes Anlene is undertaking in the region to try and keep one step ahead of osteoporosis. “Our research has shown that lifestyle choices in the region could impact significantly on the number of women who develop the disease, and we are increasing the frequency of our bone scanning to reflect this to try and help women now. We scanned over 1300 people at Move for Bones in April and this data will give us further insight into the bone heath in the region and World Milk Day will give us another opportunity to highlight this issue and reach even more women across the Emirates.

“As women are under increasing pressure to prioritise so many areas of their lives, we wanted to ensure our bone health check service is available in convenient locations to ensure women have the opportunity to take control of their bone health.”

Regular bone scanning, along with a calcium-rich diet, exercise and vitamin D intake, can help prevent osteoporosis – a disease that can cause bones to break down, leading to painful fractures, possible permanent disability and even death in some cases.

The Anlene Bone Health Check programme has been running in the Middle East for over six years and the journey begins with a quick and painless ultrasound heel scan that takes just a few minutes to complete. Patients are then immediately given an indication of their bone health and a nutritionist is on-hand to offer advice on how to maintain healthy bones. Depending on their bone health results, consumers may be offered lifestyle and diet tips to help them along their journey to better bone health.

To date, Anlene’s parent company Fonterra has spent over US$50 million on bone health research to increase its understanding of osteoporosis and the role of dairy in its prevention. This includes 18 clinical trials to evaluate how dairy best supports bone health. Fonterra is the IOF’s Regional Nutrition Partner in the Middle East. The partnership is dedicated to raising awareness and improving bone health.

As part of this, Anlene, a nutrient-rich adult milk and range of dairy products was developed by Fonterra almost 20 years ago to promote good bone health. The range was introduced to the UAE in June 2007. It includes a formulation of calcium, vitamin D, vitamin K, zinc and magnesium which combine to assist the effective absorption of bone nutrients and improve bone quality.