The Ministry of Health, Singapore, recently released the findings from their National Health Survey, 1998. The findings show that one in four adult Singaporeans now suffers from high cholesterol levels. This is a significant increase from the findings of the 1992 survey where one in four people had high cholesterol. The incidence of high blood pressure has also risen with 27% of Singaporeans now affected compared to just 22% in 1992. Another alarming finding was that up to half of those suffering from high cholesterol, high blood pressure or diabetes did not realise their condition until they were tested.

The positive news was that the incidence of diabetes remained at 9%, while overweight and obesity remained unchanged at 6% of the population. However, overweight levels increased significantly in the Malay population despite remaining relatively constant in both the Chinese and Indian populations.