ANLENE Road Show on fast track

Free bone scanning took place at a different venue every day of the week. Hor Al Anz Primary Health Clinic, Dubai Media City, Ladies Development Association and Sharjah Ladies Club were some of the venues involved. In one week approximately, 1,150 women had their bones scanned to assess their current bone density in addition to receiving nutritional advice on maintaining good bone health from experts available at the booth.

The bone-scanning is part of a month-long campaign, the ANLENE Road Show, to commemorate World Osteoporosis Day, October 20th, and the initial phase of a year-long campaign. The objective of the year long campaign is to continue to conduct free bone-scanning across the UAE with the aim of scanning a minimum of 25,000 individuals in hope of spreading awareness and determining the prevalence of osteoporosis in the country.

During the next week, free scanning booths will be available at the following locations:

26-Oct IIR Abu Dhabi Medical Congress 10am-6pm
27-Oct
28-Oct

29-Oct Dubai Internet City - Emarat Bldg.
12:30 - 5:30pm

30-Oct Al Rashidya Clinic
9am - 1pm

Osteoporosis is a common and serious condition in which the bones become thinner and less dense, making them brittle and more susceptible to irreparable damage. This condition occurs gradually over years as the bones lose minerals such as calcium, without them being sufficiently replenished. Affecting both men and women, osteoporosis is irreversible and can be permanently disabling.

To prevent osteoporosis an individual needs to maintain a healthy lifestyle and a healthy diet. Two main factors that could lead to osteoporosis is the lack of calcium and vitamin D; according to U.S DRI (recommended intake) a woman needs 1,000mg of calcium and 200IU of Vitamin D per day. Two glasses of ANLENE per day, contains 100% of Cal and Vit D (US, DRI) with the ingredient Phyto K to help lock in the nutrients.

Dr. Badsha, Specialist Rheumatologist, DBAJ, said:

"Maintaining good bone health is a very important goal through out one's life in order to prevent osteoporosis. Bones can begin to break down from as early as 25 years of age. Last years results of 'ANLENE bone Health Check' bone scanning campaign revealed a high prevalence among people in the UAE, 27% have low bone mass. The most we can do to combat this unfortunate situation is adequate education, which has been the main objective of World Osteoporosis Day since its inception."

Last years public screening program for low bone mass results were compiled and presented by Dr. Humeira Badsha, at the 9th annual European Union League against Rheumatism (EULAR 2008) in Paris, France. The screening was organized by ANLENE, DBAJ, and the UAE Ministry of Health. The aim of the study was to screen healthy adults for low bone mass and identify lifestyle factors which may contribute to osteoporosis or increased fracture risk in the Middle East, particularly in the UAE.

"The statistic of osteoporotic women is not only high in the UAE, but is also at alarming rates in other parts of the GCC, such as Saudi Arabia, where we have seen a high prevalence in women as well as men. ANLENE has screened over 20,000 people in Saudi and is currently running a similar bone scanning campaign there,"

concluded Yauwanan Wigneswaran, Brand Manager, ANLENE.

Sponsored and promoted by the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF), World Osteoporosis Day was initiated to raise awareness of osteoporosis, with each year focused on tackling issues that are related to or caused by the disease. Having gained tremendous support from health societies across the globe and co-sponsored by the World Health Organization, World Osteoporosis Day has become a globally celebrated event, with several countries participating through their own initiatives.

Last year, ANLENE, the only food brand endorsed by the IOF, introduced free bone scanning commemorating World Osteoporosis Day for the first time in the UAE.

Yauwanan Wigneswaran, Brand Manager, ANLENE, said:
"This year, to celebrate World Osteoporosis Day, we planned a very condensed campaign in terms of the number of activities. We are performing free bone scans to hundreds of women on a daily basis. The aim here is to be proactive and take the lead by bringing bone scanning to the people we feel are at risk of developing osteoporosis."