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SINGAPORE – A study published on Sept 3 in medical journal JAMA Network Open suggested that vitamin D deficiency may be associated with a higher risk of Covid-19.
Vitamin D is mainly produced in the skin when it is exposed to the ultraviolet (UV) B rays of the sun. But despite Singapore’s reputation as a “sunny island”, many here are deficient in this vitamin.
The 2010 National Health Survey found that 40 per cent of Singaporeans were deficient in vitamin D, while another 8 per cent were very deficient.
And the figures do not seem to have improved much over the past decade. Assistant Professor Verena Tan, an expert in dietetics and nutrition at the Singapore Institute of Technology, cited a 2019 study which found that the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among indoor workers here was 32.9 per cent.
Office workers, those who work in workshops and those on night shift were also found to be at a greater risk of this condition.
Dr Tan told The Straits Times on Tuesday (Sept 15) that the condition is prevalent not only in Singapore but also elsewhere in South-east Asia – despite the presence of sunlight all year round.
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