Beauty Queens Urge Girls Not To Sacrifice Their Bones

The women, from Australia, Austria, Panama, Thailand, Turkey andVenezuela, were speaking at "IOF Beauties and the Bones", an eventorganized by International Osteoporosis Foundation - IOF.

Speaking movingly of their own experiences, the women, who won theirtitles between 1972 and 2003, noted that many pre-teenage and teenagegirls worldwide have an obsession with beauty at the expense of health.The beauty queens pointed out that the standard of beauty, even forbeauty queens, is changing. They urged women and men of all ages totake responsibility for their bone health, to recognize that whilebeauty is partly physical it is also made up of inner beauty thatincludes respecting one's health and behavior.

Medical specialists from IOF noted that with Asia's aging population,it is expected that the burden of osteoporosis will increasedramatically if no preventive action is taken.

Dr Khunying Kobchitt, president of the IOF member society ThailandOsteoporosis Foundation, and professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology atthe Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand remarked thatosteoporosis is already a huge health problem in Asia, and getting moreserious every day- in 45 years (by 2050), one out of every twofractures in the world will occur in Asia. All women and men shouldtake immediate action to review their life styles and take the IOF OneMinute Osteoporosis Risk Test.

Maximum bone development takes place in girls and boys roughly betweenages 11-17. By building peak bone mass during this period, young people"invest in their bones" and reduce the risk of fracture later in life,noted Professor Ghassan Maalouf, an IOF Board member from Lebanon whospoke about the importance of proper diet (including adequate calciumand vitamin D), and sufficient exercise, in building bone strength andmass. He also pointed out that certain lifestyle activities, such aseating disorders, smoking and excessive alcohol consumption, can bedetrimental to bone health.

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

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

At a related media seminar, IOF released a new publication "Move it orLose it" which looks at the impact of weight-bearing exercise onbuilding strong bones. Professor Helmut Minne, an IOF Board member andauthor of the report, noted that, among many dramatic conclusions, ingirls the bone tissue accumulated during the ages of 11-13 roughlyequals the amount of bone lost during the 30 years following menopause.Also, in one study, the most physically active young girls gain about40% more bone mass than the least active girls of the same age. "Olderpeople also benefit," he noted, pointing out that "exercising your backduring middle-age can help prevent the vertebrae from weakening orfracturing when people get older".

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

"It is particularly important that we are meeting in Bangkok becausethe number of people suffering from osteoporosis is growing fastest inthe Asian region," noted IOF Chief Executive Officer Daniel Navid.

The "IOF Beauties and the Bones" participants included:

Australia
Belinda Green. Miss Australia, Miss World 1972

Austria
Ulla Weigerstorfer Miss Austria, Miss World 1987

Panama
Justine Pasek Miss Panama, Miss Universe 2002

Thailand
Chalida Thaochalee Miss Thailand 1998

Thailand
Pavadee Vicheinrut Miss Thailand 1995, Mrs World 2003

Turkey
Manolya Onur Miss Turkey 1976

Venezuela
Pilin Leon Miss World 1981

Notes to Editors:
Key Statistics

• Approximately 1.6 million hip fractures occur each year worldwide, the incidence is set to increase to 6.3 million by 2050.
• According to World Health Organization (WHO), osteoporosis is second only to cardiovascular disease as a global healthcare problem and medical studies show a 50-year-old woman has a similar lifetime risk of dying from hip fracture as from breast cancer.
• In Thailand. the number of hip fracture cases for men and women in Thailand is 114 and 289 per 100,000 populations 25

Interesting Statistics from IOF publication "Move It or Lose It"

• The more hours a woman spent sitting per day, the higher her risk of hip fractures. Women who sit more than nine hours a day are 50% more likely to have a hip fracture than those who sit for less than six hours a day
• Among elderly people, participants who practiced tai chi had 50% lower rate of falling than controls.
• Strengthening back muscles can reduce risk of vertebral fractures among postmenopausal women aged 58-75 years.
• Strong back muscles are significantly correlated with decreased risk of vertebral fractures and kyphosis.

High resolution images of these events are available on the press section of the IOF website:http://www.osteofound.org/press_centre/index.html

A Video News Release can be supplied upon request.

Osteoporosis, in which the bones become porous and break easily, is oneof the world's most common and debilitating diseases. The result: pain,loss of movement, inability to perform daily chores, and in many cases,death. One out of three women over 50 will experience osteoporoticfractures, as will one out of five men (1, 2, 3). Unfortunately,screening for people at risk is far from being a standard practice.Osteoporosis can, to a certain extent, be prevented, it can be easilydiagnosed and effective treatments are available.

The International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) is the onlyworldwide organization dedicated to the fight against osteoporosis. Itbrings together scientists, physicians, patient societies and corporatepartners. Working with its 170 member societies in 84 locations, andother healthcare-related organizations around the world, IOF encouragesawareness and prevention, early detection and improved treatment ofosteoporosis.

1 Melton U, Chrischilles EA, Cooper C et al. How many women have osteoporosis? Journal of Bone Mineral Research, 1992; 7:1005-10
2 Kanis JA et al. Long-term risk of osteoporotic fracture in Malmo. Osteoporosis International, 2000; 11:669-674
3. Melton LJ, et al. Bone density and fracture risk in men. JBMR. 1998; 13:No 12:1915

International Osteoporosis Foundation 2005 Osteoporosis JournalismAwards These awards recognize outstanding print reporting aboutosteoporosis. With prizes of USD 17,000, the closing date for awardentries is January 31, 2006. For more information please go to IOFwebsite journalism award.

For more information on osteoporosis and IOF please visit: www.osteofound.org