HEALTHY BONES ACTION WEEK
Healthy bones for women 50+
Most people don’t think about their bones until they have a fracture or until they reach older age. However, bones are living tissue - constantly in a state of renewal, which makes building and maintaining bones a lifelong matter - so it’s not too late to act.
Bone health is particularly important for women aged 50+. The drop in oestrogen levels that occurs around this age results in increased bone loss. To help maintain bone mass and reduce the risk of osteoporosis, experts recommend eating a diet of calcium-rich foods such as milk, cheese, and yoghurt, doing regular weight-bearing exercise and getting enough vitamin D through safe sun exposure.
The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend increasing the daily serves of milk, cheese and yogurt and/or alternatives from 2.5 to 4 serves for women aged 50+. That could be adding a 200g tub of yoghurt (one serve) and a 20g slice of cheese (half serve) to your daily diet.
An annual survey of Australians showed 90% of women 50+ agree that dairy is good for bones, but only 9% of those surveyed were aware that the amount of dairy they need jumps up to four serves at this age*.
By not prioritising their dairy intake, Australian women are at risk of missing out on essential nutrients, including calcium and protein found in milk, cheese, and yoghurt, which can help build strong bones, develop lean muscle mass, reduce the risk of osteoporosis, and support a healthy active lifestyle into the future.
*Dairy Trust Tracker, 2023
Serve of dairy
Getting enough dairy in the diet could be easier than you think. Dairy foods are tasty, convenient to consume and can easily be added to your favourite recipes to make them full of the goodness of dairy. It could be as easy as having one cup of milk with breakfast, adding two slices of cheese to a sandwich at lunch, having ¾ of a cup of yoghurt for an afternoon snack, or adding ½ a cup of ricotta to your pasta at dinner. For more great recipe ideas on how to add dairy in your diet, visit our Dairy Kitchen.
The Fractures Trial
A first of its kind, the University of Melbourne and Austin Health's Fractures Trial looked at how more dairy in the diet of elderly aged care residents improved their bone, heart and muscle health.
The trial showed that increasing serves of dairy - milk, cheese, yoghurt, and skim milk powder - from an average of 2 to 3.5 serves per day resulted in a 33% reduction in all fractures, 46% reduction in hip fractures, 11% reduction in falls, and improved calcium and protein intakes.
The trial demonstrated how adequate dairy intake reduced the risk of fractures and falls in elderly people - providing compelling evidence that provision of dairy foods is a safe, low cost, palatable, widely available approach to reduce the burden of fractures and falls in the community.
Healthy Bones Action Week | 21-27 August
Healthy Bones Action Week is a yearly initiative by Dairy Australia, which takes place every August, with the objective to educate and encourage all Australians to look after their bone health by taking three simple actions.
Watch the video of our industry ambassador Jonathan Brown talk about the importance of bone health and the three actions for building strong bones with two primary-aged children, Ivy and Daisy.
Celebrating Healthy Bones Action Week in schools
Primary school is a crucial time for Aussie kids to build strong bones for life and ensure their daily routine includes the three steps to maintaining good bone health. Head over to our Discover Dairy schools website for some fun free games and activities to get your kids active this Healthy Bones Action Week.
Watch the video of Dietitian Maddi talk about the three steps to maintaining good bone health with Daisy.
Ways to get involved
Here are a couple of ways you can get involved and support this important national health initiative:
1. Host a Healthy Bones Action Week initiative in your workplace, encouraging staff to take the three actions (Calcium intake through foods like milk, cheese, yoghurt, weight bearing exercise and Vitamin D through safe sun exposure) for healthy bones each day. Share daily content from @AustralianDairy to kick-start the initiative!
2. Share Healthy Bones Action Week with your social followers. Encourage all Australians to do something positive for their bone health, by taking three simple actions for Healthy Bones and give a shout out to your calcium-rich dairy products (milk, cheese, yoghurt), tagging @australiandairy and #HealthyBonesActionWeek.
Discover our resources on bone health
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Dairy Ambassador Jonathan Brown - Talking bone health
Dairy Ambassador Jonathan Brown - Talking bone health
Dairy Australia Ambassador, Jonathan Brown sits down with bone health expert, Dr Sandra Iluiano to chat about the purpose of Healthy Bones Action Week, the importance of maintaining strong bones and muscles and how Australians can look after them.
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Dairy for bone health with Health Performance Collective
Dairy for bone health with Health Performance Collective
Australians aren’t getting enough dairy in their diet. Chloe McLeod and Jess Spendlove, Advanced Sports Dietician’s from Health Performance Collective share some delicious ways to help Australians ensure they’re getting the recommended calcium intake for healthy bones and muscles.
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Weight-bearing workout with Sarah Piotrowski
Weight-bearing workout with Sarah Piotrowski
As well as getting safe vitamin D and the recommended intake of calcium via dairy foods, weight bearing exercise is vital for looking after the health of our bones. Sarah Piotrowski, Yoga Teacher and Personal Trainer takes us through a series of weight bearing exercises that will help build strength in our bones today and in the future.
To view the full workout version click here. -
Sports nutrition for healthy bones with St Kilda FC
Sports nutrition for healthy bones with St Kilda FC
For professional athletes, maintaining bone health is vitally important, especially for younger players in assisting growth and development, as well as performance demands. Bones provide our basic foundation structure to support our frame, protect our organs and our muscles. Ali Miles, Performance Dietician from St Kilda Football Club speaks about Healthy Bones Action Week, what it’s all about and the particular importance for professional athletes.
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Talking kids bone health
Talking kids bone health
Kids aren’t exercising as much as they should be and for young children, 1 in 5 aren’t consuming enough dairy – a stat that increases as they enter teenage years, the most important phase for growth. Dairy Ambassador, Jonathan Brown talks to Dr. Sandra Iuliano about the importance of children’s both health and shares some tips to ensure healthy bones for life.
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Recipe ideas for the whole family to support healthy bones and muscles
Recipe ideas for the whole family to support healthy bones and muscles
At Dairy Australia we are passionate about sport and exercise and we love good food!
We want to help athletes and active people to achieve their goals. With the help of Sports Dietitians Australia we have developed this booklet that combines practical advice with nutritious and tasty recipes for the active person. Whether you are looking for meals and snacks to fuel your body for competition, or tips on gaining muscle, this booklet provides something for you.
