Why do Asians consume little or no calcium and suffer less from osteoporosis and bone fractures than Scandinavians or Americans, who are major consumers of milk products?
It is true that Asians consume little dairy products, that their calcium intake is low (less than 500 mg/day) and that on average thigh bone (or hip) fractures are less frequent in Asia. There are several explanations for this: Genetics: some genes associated with higher bone mass are more frequent in Asians. Morphology : Asians are shorter (so they fall from a lesser height …) and the geometry of their thigh bone cervix is different, making it more resistant to traumatism. Environment: physical activity for instance seems more important in Asia (also the traditional crouching also would appear beneficial for the bones). In Hong Kong and Singapore, for instance, the number of thigh bone fractures is only slightly less than that of the US. Vertebral compression is more frequent in Japan. And, with the extension of life expectancy, fractures linked to osteoporosis are probably increasing at a high rate in Asia (experts foresee that by the end of the century, half of the thigh bone fractu
