Bayer HealthCare Release: One-A-Day Women's Can Help Meet Surgeon General's Calcium Goal

MORRISTOWN, N.J., Oct. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- In keeping with the United State's Surgeon General Richard Carmona's recommendation that Americans take action to improve and maintain healthy bones, One-A-Day(R) multivitamins reminds consumers that the One-A-Day Women's formula is designed to help meet a woman's calcium needs with more than twice the amount of calcium than other leading multivitamin brands.

"As noted by the Surgeon General, optimal levels of calcium and vitamin D are essential in maintaining strong and healthy bones," said Robyn Flipse, MS, registered dietitian (RD), active member of the American Dietetic Association. "While we all should try to eat properly, it's a simple fact that we don't always get the nutrients we need from our food because of our hurried lifestyles. Eating properly and taking a multivitamin, such as One-A-Day Women's which is enriched with calcium and vitamin D, should be an important part of every woman's daily routine."

While osteoporosis is often associated with aging, women can start losing bone mass as early as their 30s. According to the new report, osteoporosis, or porous bone, is a major health threat for 34 million Americans, 68 percent of whom are women. Osteoporosis is characterized by low bone mass and the structural deterioration of bone structure, which leads to an increased susceptibility to fractures of the hip, spine, and wrist.

That's why it is important that women consume enough calcium to keep their bones strong and healthy. The Surgeon General recommends that women under 50 should consume 1,000mg of calcium a day, yet according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) the average woman only consumes 668mg of calcium per day. To meet recommended daily amounts of calcium and vitamin D, the Surgeon General's report states that supplements may be helpful and may decrease the likelihood of developing osteoporosis.

One-A-Day Women's, which starts with 100 percent of key vitamins and minerals women need to help maintain proper health, is also an excellent source of calcium. At 450mg of calcium per tablet, One-A-Day Women's provides 45 percent of the recommended dietary allowance of calcium each day. When coupled with a calcium rich diet, One-A-Day Women's helps women meet the 100% Recommended Daily Value of calcium.

"When we formulated One-A-Day Women's, we recognized the need for a multivitamin that would specifically address a woman's unique nutritional requirements," said Shane Durkee, Director of Nutritional Science at Bayer HealthCare's Consumer Care Division. "The recommendations made by the Surgeon General reinforce the value of women taking the necessary steps to ensure they get the optimal amount of calcium they require every day in order to improve their bone health and help prevent osteoporosis."

One-A-Day Women's is part of a broad line of One-A-Day multivitamins offered by Bayer HealthCare's Consumer Care Division. The One-A-Day line of multivitamins includes: Men's Health Formula with lycopene to support prostate health; One-A-Day WeightSmart with EGCG to enhance metabolism; and One-A-Day CarbSmart with biotin to help break down fats and proteins into energy.

For more information about the complete line of One-A-Day multivitamins, visit http://www.oneaday.com/ or call 1-800-800-4793.

About Bayer Consumer Care

Bayer Consumer Care, a division of Bayer HealthCare AG, is headquartered in Morristown, N.J. Bayer Consumer Care is among the largest marketers of over-the-counter medications and nutritional supplements in the world. Some of the most trusted and recognizable brands in the world today come from the Bayer portfolio of products. These include Bayer Aspirin, Aleve, Phillips' Milk of Magnesia, Midol, Alka-Seltzer, Alka-Seltzer Plus, Bactine, RID and One-A-Day, and Flintstones vitamins. Bayer HealthCare AG, a subgroup of Bayer AG with sales of approximately 8.9 billion Euro in 2003, is one of the world's leading, innovative companies in the health care and medical products industry. The company combines the global activities of the divisions Animal Health, Biological Products, Consumer Care, Diagnostics Professional Testing Systems and Diagnostics Self Testing Systems and Pharmaceuticals. Approximately 34,600 people are employed by Bayer HealthCare worldwide.

CONTACT: William O'Donnell of Bayer HealthCare, +1-973-408-8022,william.o'donnell.b@bayer.com; or Jennifer Solar of SENSEI Health,+1-212-631-0505, jsolar@senseihealth.com, for Bayer Consumer HealthCare

Web site: http://www.oneaday.com/