Abstract

VITAMIN D STATUS IN INDIAN POPULATION: MAJOR HEALTH CONCERN

Gadre Suchanda, Yadav K. S.* and Gomes Merlyn W

Abstract

Vitamin D has been known to man since ages. It has been reported that the earliest phytoplankton life forms that have existed unchanged in the Atlantic Ocean for more than 750 years can make Vitamin D when exposed to sunlight.[1,2] It was classified as a vitamin in the early 20th century and as a prohormone (―conditional‖ vitamin) in the second half of the 20th century.[3,4] Vitamin D has been traditionally known as ―anti-ricketic factor or sunshine vitamin‖. It was in 1822 when an association was found between lack of sunlight and devastating bone disease rickets in children.[5] This vitamin is synthesised by action of sunlight on human skin. It was thought that in tropical countries like India Vitamin D deficiency will not occur due to abundant sunlight but studies have shown that high incidences of Vitamin D deficiency is occurring among population of all ages.[6,8] In a study from north India it was found that out of the total study population more than half of population was Vitamin D deficient.[9] Many other studies also have reported the evidence of Vitamin D deficiency in majority of population.

Keywords: .