05.01.07
In a recent survey conducted on behalf of GTC Nutrition, Golden, CO, it was found that a majority of Americans remain unaware of key facts concerning healthy bones. In addition, they also lack important knowledge about health risks related to bone disease. The study, performed by Opinion Research Corp., found that 86% of Americans believe that women are at greater risk from breast cancer, ovarian cancer or uterine cancer than from fractures linked to osteoporosis. The reality is a woman’s risk of an osteoporotic fracture is greater than all three cancers combined. Even though calcium is critical for building bone mass, more than half (55%) of the 1031 survey respondents were unaware that the body absorbs only about 30% of the calcium consumed through diet. The survey also found that most Americans underestimate the percentage of young women who are not getting enough calcium during the peak bone-building years. Although studies show 90% of girls aged 12 to 19 are not getting enough calcium, more than two-thirds of all re-spondents to the GTC Nutrition survey weren’t aware of the extent of this shortfall, including 66% of the respondents with children in their households.