THE OSTEOPOROSIS Society of the Philippines (OSP), in cooperation with the Nutrition Department of the University of Santo Tomas Hospital (USTH), will give a two-day lecture on the prevention of osteoporosis on October 11-12.
Osteoporosis is the loss of bone mass due to the lack of calcium in the blood, forcing the blood to absorb the bones’ minerals and weakening the bones. People at risk of osteoporosis are the elderly and pregnant and lactating mothers. However, children are also advised to increase their calcium intake.
The ideal and most available source of calcium is milk. However, Ms. Joan Sumpio of the USTH Dietary Department said that Filipinos are not milk drinkers. Milk alternatives are now being sought since most of the local households omit milk in their usual grocery list. According to Sumpio, their research revealed that there are a lot of milk alternatives in the Filipino diet that Filipinos are not aware of.
“Our native puto, the dalanghita, mangoes, tofu, carrots and even the regular bakery-bought pan de coco are very good sources of calcium,” Sumpio said.
The research, presented as part of the lecture, aims to increase the awareness of Filipinos about other sources of calcium.
“We are not saying that milk is no longer needed, but you can also get calcium from these sources if milk in unavailable or is absent in a household,” Sumpio explained. Jennifer B. Fortuno
