(Photo by RDNE Stock Project/Pexels)
Osteoporosis is a growing concern among Filipino adults and the elderly. The Department of Science and Technology-Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) reported that one of the potential contributors to poor bone health that causes osteoporosis among Filipinos is low calcium intake.
The 2021 Expanded National Nutrition Survey (ENNS) of the DOST-FNRI revealed that 97.2% of adults and 95.5% of elderly suffer from calcium deficiency. These statistics highlight the need to focus on osteoporosis awareness, diagnosis, and treatment, DOST-FNRI emphasized.
Thus, the institute encourages everyone to eat more calcium-rich foods such as soy and soy-based products, beans, peas, lentils, nuts, grains, seaweeds, cereals, and green leafy vegetables.
It is also necessary to have sufficient vitamin D for efficient absorption of calcium by simply getting enough sunlight that activates vitamin D in the body, DOST-FNRI added.
Furthermore, DOST-FNRI recommends that the national government should intensify the food fortification program on other food products which can be good vehicles of calcium and vitamin D fortification.
The institute also proposes that the LGUs should have a sustained effort and structured public awareness programs on the importance of bone health, initiate primary prevention programs focusing on modifiable risk factors such as nutrition and lifestyle-related behaviors, and establish diagnostic facilities like DEXA scans in their health centers for early detection of osteoporosis. (Story courtesy of DOST-FNRI)