Experts Advise Middle Aged Adults to Care for Musculoskeletal Health Early to Support Better Quality of Life Later

By 2040, Malaysians aged 60 years and above is expected to doublei from the current estimate of 10.3% of the populationii! Recognising the importance for Malaysia’s aging population to maintain their musculoskeletal health, which can affect their mobility, flexibility, balance and thereby quality of life as they age, Fonterra Brands Malaysia through its adult nutrition brand Anlene™ introduces ACTIFIT 3X™ and GOLD 5X™, formulated to provide important nutrients for Malaysian adults.

The Social Wellbeing Research Centre at Universiti Malaya projected the number of Malaysians aged 60 years and above to reach 6.3 million in 2040, which is about 2 out of every 10 Malaysiansi. Not only is the number of our ageing population increasing rapidly, life expectancy of our silver population is expected to increase as well – men whose age reached 65 years in 2019 are expected to live a further 14.8 years to nearly 80; and women aged 65 last year are expected to live a further 17.8 yearsiii to about 82 years.

According to Dr. Nor I'zzati Saedon, who is consultant geriatric and senior lecturer of internal medicine at University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), musculoskeletal health is one of the key factors in enabling people to live their lives independently and it starts with building and maintaining bones, muscles and joints that will continue to be strong for many years ahead. The musculoskeletal system provides form, support, stability, and movement to the body. It is made up of the bones of the skeleton, muscles, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, joints, and other connective tissue that supports and binds tissues and organs together.

“It is easy for middle aged adults in their 40s to not notice their own musculoskeletal health when they don’t have any condition, such as pain resulting from injury or bad posture. Being able to walk requires strength, flexibility and balance. Simple tasks like eating and dressing needs dexterity of the hands and wrists. Being able to reach up, bend over and squat down, allows people to carry out everyday activities like gardening, cooking and cleaning. Any individual would like to continue to be able to do all these without any support and assistance, especially when they progress into their 60’s and beyond,” she says.

Another expert in the musculoskeletal field is chiropractor, Mr. Calvin Shun, Founder of Osso Bone Care Chiropractic, who highlights changes in the musculoskeletal system as one ages. “Our bones may start to deteriorate from as early as 30si , losing up to 20% of bone densityii and our joint cartilages (the ‘cushions’ between joints) may have significant degeneration in our 40siii. Our muscle functions may become weaker by losing up to 29% of its strengthiv as we age,” he says.
“Musculoskeletal conditions, such as osteoarthritis which usually occurs in our knees can interfere with people’s ability to carry out their daily normal activities. Common symptoms include pain, stiffness and reduction of flexibility. That will reduce level of mobility, and in the long run may rob people of their independence and impairing their ability to participate in family, social and working life, and thus their quality of life could be affected,” he continues.

Shun says degeneration of bone mass, muscles or joint cartilage may accelerate with aging, but there are several common steps one could take to slow it down. He advises middle aged adults to maintain a healthy weight; exercise regularly, especially work outs that build muscles and maintain strong bones; take care of small injuries and do not allow them to develop into bigger issues that affect movements; and always remember to sit and walk with the right postures!

In terms of nutrition, Puan Megawati Suzari, Director of New Product Development, Scientific & Regulatory Affairs at Fonterra Brands Malaysia which markets Anlene™, highlights the importance for middle aged adults to care for their mobility via maintaining strong bones, joints and muscles, which are also necessary for active living and healthy aging. “On top of improving lifestyle by becoming physically active, adopting a good dietary habit is equally important,” she says.

A recent studyv highlights the importance of both regular exercise and milk intake as part of a balanced diet. It shows that participants who consumed 2 glasses of milk added with MFGM (Milk Fat Globule Membrane) and important nutrients plus regular exercises had 2X the improvement in flexibility, 3X the improvement in balance and 40% more improvement in muscle mass compared to control.

“Eating a balanced diet by including nutritious food is required to support adults’ musculoskeletal health. Anlene™ ACTIFIT 3X™ and GOLD 5X™ are formulated specifically to complement a balanced diet which is important to support musculoskeletal health” says Megawati.

New Anlene™ GOLD 5X™ is scientifically formulated with key nutrients that are important to support adults’ nutritional needs and has no added sugars. An important ingredient in the product is MFGM Active™, which contains MFGM - a combination of lipids and proteins that provides similar compounds to those found in joint fluids. Let’s enjoy the goodness of Anlene™ GOLD 5X™!

In each glass of milk, you can now enjoy the goodness of Anlene™ ACTIFIT 3X™ that comes with high calcium, high protein, vitamin B2, B6, B12, C, D, E and collagen, while Anlene™ GOLD 5X™ is scientifically formulated to provide the same nutrients that 3X™ offers, plus MFGM Active™ and with no added sugars.

Anlene™ ACTIFIT 3X™ and GOLD 5X™ are brought to Malaysian consumers by Fonterra Brands Malaysia, a company committed to the highest of food safety and quality standards. Both products are now available at major retailers nationwide and online at our official stores on Shopee and Lazada. Recommended retail price of Anlene™ ACTIFIT 3X™ (1kg) is RM34.65 and Anlene™ GOLD 5X™ (1kg) is at RM38.90.

Visit https://movecheckquiz.anlene.net.my/ to take Anlene Move Check Quiz, a special tool developed to assess your mobility by performing simple physical movement. Or you can look out for Anlene Mobility Check happening in store and on ground to assess your flexibility, strength, bone and muscle mass.

i Buchanan JR et al. 1988. Early Vertebral Trabecular Bone Loss in Normal Premenopausal Women. J Bone & Mineral Research. 3(5): 583-587.
ii Hormones and Healthy Bones. National Osteoporosis Foundation. 2009.
iii Chung, Aging in Human Joint: Articular cartilage. 1966. Journal of the National Medical Association. 58 (2): 87 – 95.
iv Daly R et al., 2013. Gender specific age-related changes in bone density, muscle strength & functional performance in the elderly: a 10-year prospective population-based study. BMC Geriatrics 13:71.
v Daly RM et al. (2020) Effects of a multinutrient-fortified milk drink combined with exercise on functional performance, muscle strength, body composition, inflammation, and oxidative stress in middle-aged women: a 4-month, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 112(2), 427–446.
i Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr Norma Mansor, Director of Social Wellbeing Research Centre Universiti Malaya, 2018, http://swrc.um.edu.my/about-swrc/message-from-director/
ii Department of Statistics Malaysia, 2019. Abridged Life Tables, Malaysia. [online] Available at: https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/index.php?r=column/cthemeByCat&cat=155&bul_id=OVByWjg5YkQ3MWFZRTN5bDJiaEVhZz09&menu_id=L0pheU43NWJwRWVSZklWdzQ4TlhUUT09
iii Department of Statistics Malaysia, 2017 - 2019. Abridged Life Tables, Malaysia. [online] Available at: https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/index.php?r=column/pdfPrev&id=YnV4S1FyVnNzUWJlQ3F5NHVMeFY3UT09