No Vitamin D for these Bones
58% of Saudi Women Suffer from Osteoporosis — Study
Suzan Zawawi

RIYADH: Fifty-eight percent of Saudi women suffer from osteoporosis — brittle bones that break easily — with 20 percent of elderly women dying within a year of fracturing their hip bone.

These shocking statistics were presented at the launch of the Ministry of Health’s Fortify Your Bones campaign against osteoporosis.

The six-month long campaign aims at raising awareness amongst Saudi women and the public on the risks of osteoporosis and how to prevent the bone-breaking affliction.

These are pretty breathtaking statistics. The study suggests two major causes for the prevalence of osteoporosis: inadequate diet and lack of sunshine on women’s skin. I think that multiple pregnancies may also play a role, as most Saudi women have four or more children.

Milk in Saudi Arabia is not vitamin fortified, a measure that has become mandatory for nearly all American milk. Green vegetables in the diet also tend to be cooked. With the exception of some salads, almost none are eaten raw.

The obvious solution to the lack of sunlight on skin isn’t a workable one, given Saudi attitudes toward women’s dress. The lack of any athletics in girls schools (girls only, of course) doesn’t help matters. It’s going to take a major shift in cultural attitudes to make sunshine a viable source for vitamin D. The irony, of course, in a country with over 350 days of sunshine every year, is apparent.