RIYADH, 17 January 2007 — The Health Ministry will distribute six million packets of milk on the first day of the Islamic calendar, Jan. 20, to mark the launch of a nationwide campaign to encourage men, women and children to drink more milk to stay healthy.
“This is a major public and private sector venture undertaken by the ministry to cultivate the habit of drinking more milk for a healthy life,” said Health Ministry spokesman Khaled Al-Mirghalani.
He added that the program is being arranged in cooperation with the major dairy firms in the Kingdom. Health Minister Dr. Hamad Al-Manie, Education Minister Abdullah Obaid and Agriculture and Water Minister Fahd Balghunaim will launch the program.
Mirghalani said regular milk consumption helps reduce the chances of getting bone and joint diseases, such as osteoporosis, a skeletal disease characterized by loss of bone mass, which affects 65 percent of Saudi women over the age of 45.
The Health Ministry also unveiled a campaign banner titled “Keep Your Bones Healthy” and inaugurated a website to disseminate information on osteoporosis.
To mark the launch, the ministry will also release a logo printed in Arabic calling members of the family to drink milk daily as a habit.
According to Claire Williamson, a nutrition scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation, milk and dairy foods were an important part of a balanced diet.
“Milk is an important source of several nutrients including protein, calcium, zinc and vitamin B12,” she said. “Currently around five percent of men and eight percent of women aged between 19 and 24 years are not consuming enough calcium to meet their needs.”
She recommended two to three servings per day — a serving is a 200ml glass of milk — a small serving of yogurt or a 30-gram portion of cheese.
A recent research has revealed that men who drank the most milk had a lower risk of ischemic heart disease, and a significantly lower risk of stroke than those who drank the least.
