About one quarter of Vietnamese women in post-menopause suffer from osteoporosis, said experts from the Institute of Social and Medical Studies (ISMD) at a workshop in Hanoi on December 23. Director of the ISMD Nguyen Truong Nam said the condition has many repercussions on the individual, her family as well as society, adding that the workshop aims to find specific intervention solutions to prevent and reduce osteoporosis in Vietnam. Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) showed that over 600 billion USD is spent on curing osteoporosis related diseases each year globally. The ISMD’s Deputy Director Le Thi Bach Mai said low intake of calcium-rich foods, particularly a low intake of dairy foods, in the typical Vietnamese diet is one of the main reasons for a lack of calcium among Vietnamese, which pose a high risk of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a condition where the bones have lost calcium and other minerals, become fragile and tend to fracture more easily. (Vietnamplus Dec 24)
