Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D is the standard measure of vitamin D status, and its role in calcium and bone metabolism is not in dispute. The proposed immune and cardiovascular roles are the part that outran the evidence, and they are what the test is usually sold on.
Manson JE, Cook NR, Lee IM, et al. (VITAL) “Vitamin D Supplements and Prevention of Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease.” N Engl J Med 2019;380:33–44 randomised 25,871 adults to vitamin D3 2000IU/day or placebo and found no significant reduction in cancer or major cardiovascular events over five years. Frank deficiency (<20ng/mL) still matters for bone health and should be corrected in at-risk groups. Routine supplementation “for longevity” in an otherwise-replete healthy adult is not supported by the best available trial evidence — which makes this, at S$120–135, the most expensive weak-evidence test in common use.
Manson JE, et al. N Engl J Med. 2019. PubMed: PMID 30415629 · USPSTF (2021), PMID 33847711: insufficient evidence to recommend routine screening. Full pricing and evidence breakdown: Vitamin D test cost in Singapore.
Singapore guidance
Not covered in the current review
Singapore’s national screening committee has not reviewed this test in the current volume of its report, which covers nine conditions. That is not a verdict either way.
Source: Screening Test Review Committee report 2026, Volume 1 (Academy of Medicine Singapore and Ministry of Health, February 2026). The full national list · How this is used.
What you would actually pay
- Healthier SG
- Not subsidised
- MediSave
- Not among the screenings named for outpatient claims
Source: Healthier SG Screening (HealthHub) and MediSave outpatient care (Ministry of Health). Absence from either list is not a statement that the test is discouraged — only that no subsidy or claim applies. Gross prices compared.
What it costs when it is wrong
- Basis
- No published harm criterion found
- Severity
- Not documented
Not covered in the current volume of the committee’s report, so no harm criterion was found either way.
An empty finding, not a clean bill of health: this means nothing documented was found for this test. It is not a claim that the test is safe.
Screening harm is not only a laboratory question: the committee’s own criteria advise against a test when “the screening test, or follow-up tests arising from a positive screen, are associated with significant medical risks”. Sources on overdiagnosis → · How this is graded.
Singapore pricing. We have a full price breakdown for this test, using checked 2026 figures from named providers — read the price guide →
FAQ
Is the Vitamin D (25-OH-D) worth doing in Singapore?
The evidence behind Vitamin D (25-OH-D) is graded weak for screening an asymptomatic adult. It is most appropriate for deficiency symptoms, osteoporosis risk, malabsorption, limited sun exposure, elderly, or before starting bone-active therapy. It typically costs S$120–135 in Singapore. The usual schedule: one-off in higher-risk groups; not necessary annually in a healthy, sun-exposed adult.
Weighing this against something else? Compare it with two other tests → · Price it inside a panel →