HIDDEN FAT, LACK OF SLEEP
Dr Wang thinks that Singaporeans can definitely improve their diet and exercise. According to OECD data, Singapore residents’ rates of high blood pressure and hyperlipidemia, or high cholesterol, are above the rest of the OECD territories.
Even though Singapore has a lower rate of obesity than the US or European countries, “hidden” or visceral fat is a concern. This is fat deposited around internal organs which is associated with several chronic diseases including heart disease, diabetes and dementia.
Chi Longevity co-founder Professor Andrea Maier flagged this as a particular concern for Asians, who tend to accumulate more visceral fat, even when not obese.
“In the US, 50 per cent of the individuals are obese, here it’s only a little bit more than 10 per cent, so we’re not talking about huge numbers … but it’s the visceral fat – that’s a killer, and that really establishes diabetes, heart disease et cetera.”
Maintaining a diet here can be hard with so much good food in Singapore, says Dr Wang.
“Rather than pursuing the next diet trend and obsessing about ingredient counts and calories, concentrate on moderation and sustainability. Include plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits, lean meat and unprocessed foods in one’s diet,” she said.
Prof Maier zeroed in on hawker food, saying: “Imagine if hawkers would sell healthy food, how much impact would that have for the health of an entire nation?
“If… Singapore could establish healthier hawker food, we would not have hyperlipidemia and so much diabetes.”
In particular, younger cohorts of Singaporeans are more at risk of obesity, high blood pressure and have increased sodium intake, according to Dr Angelique Chan, executive director of the Center for Aging Research and Education, Duke-NUS Medical School. Childhood obesity has also been increasing at a rather alarming rate, she said.
“This is not healthy, therefore the Singapore government has invested heavily in programs to alleviate and prevent unhealthy behavior,” said Dr Chan.
This includes building an environment conducive to exercise, in the form of exercise corners and park connectors, and introducing new health programs such as Healthier SG.
A national initiative by the Ministry of Health, Healthier SG focuses on preventive health and aims to get citizens to take proactive steps to manage their health, prevent the onset of chronic diseases and have strong support to lead healthier lifestyles.
This includes enrolling with a single doctor who will support them in their health needs throughout their lives. The hope is that this will help family doctors build strong relationships with their patients, playing a bigger role in preventive care.
Apart from initiatives under Healthier SG, Singapore is also tweaking its approach to tackling lifestyle habits, from a war on diabetes and sodium reduction strategy to designing new towns that promote healthy living, such as turning Queenstown into the country’s first health district.
Prof Maier also pointed out that one overlooked factor is insufficient sleep – which can add to the risk of developing diabetes, dementia and affect one’s mental health.
Singapore is among the cities that get the least hours of sleep in the world. A 2021 global sleep study by Philips found that Singaporeans got an average of 6.8 hours of shuteye a night, less than the recommended eight hours.
“We are focusing very much on physical activity, which is great. But I think focusing also on sleep, which is surrogate to how you feel and how well you reset, is very important,” she said.