"The greatest challenge always has been to drive home the importance of osteoporosis prevention. For decades, too many people have not adequately considered the repercussions of their diets and lifestyles on their bone health. We believe today's report is an important tool to spur healthcare professionals, advocates and private industries on in our efforts to find effective ways to make osteoporosis prevention part of the everyday lives," said Neil Walsdorf, Jr., president of Mission Pharmacal.
Osteoporosis is the gradual loss of bone density from the skeleton that often results in fractures of the hip, spine and wrist. Signs of advanced osteoporosis include stooped posture, loss of height, pain and bones that break easily. Bone loss affects nearly 44 million in the United States, 80 percent of them women. Bone deterioration is responsible for 1.5 million fractures each year, resulting in as many as 300,000 deaths due to complications, yet two simple measures--exercise and calcium--can help prevent it. Education and prevention are key themes in the report that also focuses on new research, access and coverage for health services.
"The findings of the Surgeon General's Report show that this disease is not simply a symptom of growing older," says Miriam Nelson, Ph.D., a participant in the Surgeon General's Workshop leading up to the report and author of Strong Women, Strong Bones and the Strong Women book series. "Women's daily calcium needs vary throughout life from 1000 to 1500 mg daily. But studies find that diet alone typically provides only (half) the daily value needed. Fortunately, those who do not get enough calcium from food can easily and conveniently incorporate calcium supplements into their daily routines to meet their requirements.
In fact, new research from the University of Arizona has found that the calcium citrate supplement Citracal®, which was used in the study, combined with weight-bearing and resistance exercises, provided significant improvement in bone mineral density (BMD) of postmenopausal women at specific important skeletal sites. Increasing bone mineral density is key to helping prevent the onset of osteoporosis.
About the Report
The Surgeon General of the Public Health Service has focused the Nation's attention on important public health issues. Reports of the Surgeon General on the adverse health consequences of smoking triggered nationwide efforts to prevent tobacco use. Reports and other publications on nutrition, violence, and HIV/AIDS--to name but a few--have heightened America's awareness of important public health issues and generated major public health initiatives.
About Citracal®
Citracal® is the leading calcium citrate supplement recommended by experts in bone metabolism. Because it does not require stomach acid for absorption, Citracal® can be taken with or without food.
Citracal® is a product of Mission Pharmacal Inc, a pharmaceutical products company based in San Antonio, Texas.
ABOUT MISSION PHARMACAL
Mission Pharmacal, the makers of Citracal®, is a family-owned pharmaceutical company based in San Antonio, TX. For more than 50 years, the company has been dedicated to identifying unmet health needs in the marketplace and developing innovative prescription and over-the-counter products to meet them. Currently, the Mission Pharmacal Company provides physicians and consumers with pharmaceutical, nutritional and diagnostic products. For more information, please visit www.citracal.com.