Half an hour of exercise carried out almost every day is the key to developing and maintaining healthy bones, it has been stressed.

According to the Lebanese Osteoporosis Prevention Society (LOPS), taking the correct vitamins - in the form of food and exposure to the sun - is also essential for bone health.

However, the group stressed the importance of moderate activity in conserving bone strength over the long term at this year’s Musculoskeletal Diseases and Fragility Fractures regional congress in Beirut.

Dr Ghassan Maalouf, a former LOPS President and head of the Bone and Joint Decade Lebanon chapter, commented: "In addition to diet and sun exposure, moderate regular physical activity - 30 minutes most days of the week - is also essential for strengthening and maintaining bone health throughout life."

Earlier this week, scientists at the University of California found that exercising for one hour every day can keep middle-aged women looking youthful.