Vitamin D and non-skeletal health

Vitamin D deficiency is pandemic, yet it is the most under-diagnosed and under-treated nutritional deficiency in the world. Vitamin D deficiency is widespread in individuals irrespective of their age, gender, race, socio-economic status and geography. However, vitamin D deficiency is widely prevalent despite plentiful sunshine even in tropical countries like India. Vitamin D deficiency has a bearing not only on skeletal but also on extra skeletal diseases. Owing to its multifarious implications on health, the epidemic of vitamin D deficiency in India is likely to significantly contribute to the enormous burden on the healthcare system of India. Vitamin D can play a role in decreasing the risk of many chronic illnesses, including common cancers, autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases, and cardiovascular disease.