Open AccessVitamin D Deficiency in Brazil: Questions about Potential Causes and Clinical Characteristics*
Author(s) -
Fabrícia Belloni dos Santos Vieira,
António Casimiro Ferreira,
Felipe Rezende Giacomelli,
Lívia Gonçalves de Lima,
Thiago Santos Hirose,
Renato Augusto Zorzo
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
international journal of nutrology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2595-2854
pISSN - 1984-3011
DOI - 10.1055/s-0041-1728682
Subject(s) - vitamin d deficiency , vitamin d and neurology , ultraviolet radiation , micronutrient , population , medicine , environmental health , physiology , chemistry , endocrinology , pathology , radiochemistry
Vitamin D is a micronutrient essential to various systems from the human body, and it is not restricted to the classical function of bone mineralization. Its synthesis is mainly related to ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation exposure. Although Brazil is a tropical country with high levels of UVB radiation, counter-intuitively, a large number of Brazilians present vitamin D deficiency, which is also a worldwide issue. This review aims to approach clinical features and explore potential causes for this apparent contradiction through questions that could explain vitamin D deficiency in the Brazilian population.