commitment to improving the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of osteoporosis as they gathered in Damascus, Syria for the 5th Pan Arab Osteoporosis Congress, the region's largest bone health convention.
The three-day congress, which concluded recently, was organized by the Pan Arab Osteoporosis Society (PAOS), in cooperation with the International Osteoporosis Foundation and with the support of Nestlé Middle East as part of their "Nestlé Strong and Healthy Bones" initiative.
The fifth edition of the annual PAOS Congress once again provided an opportunity for regional and international bone health experts to present and discuss the latest data on basic and clinical osteoporosis research, and featured a series of lectures, debates and discussions on key topics such as juvenile osteoporosis, drug-induced osteoporosis, vitamin D sufficiency, and calcium nutrition.
"With its rich scientific program and impressive speaker line-up, this year's congress served to provide new insights into the challenges associated with osteoporosis prevention and treatment, and emphasized the need for concerted action from all stakeholders to effectively address the problem of osteoporosis," said Dr. Gemma Adib, President of PAOS and Congress President. "The situation calls, in particular, for increased action towards raising public awareness and education, and facilitating cooperation between various governmental and non-governmental entities to reach the agreed targets."
Supported by leading regional and international pharmaceutical companies, the 5th PAOS Congress also featured important public sessions that highlighted the role of nutrition and exercise in preventing osteoporosis and emphasized the importance of calcium and vitamin D in building strong bones in childhood.
"Adopting healthy nutrition and lifestyle habits from a very early age is crucial to building strong bones," said Karine Antoniades Turk, Nutritionist, Nestlé Middle East. "Through our 'Nestlé Strong and Healthy Bones' initiative, we aim to create better awareness about the importance of maintaining bone strength through healthy dietary practices and regular physical activity."
"Calcium and vitamin D are the most important nutrients for bone health; vitamin D helps absorb and deposit calcium in the bones - which is necessary for calcium to be effective. Good daily sources of vitamin D include sunlight and fortified foods, such as vitamin D fortified milk and milk products," Turk added. "Regular physical activity is also important for maintaining healthy bones; however, it must be noted that only weight-bearing physical activities - such as walking, jogging and dancing – benefit the bones, whereas swimming does not improve bone strength as it does not stress the bones."
Launched in 2009 in cooperation with the Pan Arab Osteoporosis Society, the "Nestlé Strong and Healthy Bones" initiative has so far organized and sponsored awareness campaigns in several Arab countries including Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Nestlé is a global leader in the area of bone health, owning the world's largest private nutritional research and development network, and working closely with scientific and health bodies; all contributing to the company's wealth of knowledge and expertise in this field.
