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Review
. 2021 Mar;56(1):47-57.
doi: 10.1016/j.cnur.2020.10.004. Epub 2020 Dec 28.

Vitamin D: Vitamin or Hormone?

Deborah L Ellison  1 , Heather R Moran  2
Affiliations
Review

Vitamin D: Vitamin or Hormone?

Deborah L Ellison et al. Nurs Clin North Am. 2021 Mar.

Abstract

Vitamin D can be obtained from diet, direct sunlight, or supplementation. The most common form is synthesized in the skin after exposure to ultraviolet B radiation. Nevertheless, the thought is that vitamin D is more of a multifunctional hormone or prohormone. This is because vitamin D plays contributes to many processes in the body. Calcitriol has been shown to have enhancing effects on the immune system, the cardiovascular system, the endocrine system, and other metabolic pathways. There is evidence that vitamin D has also a role in depression, pain, and cancer.

Keywords: Pathophysiology of vitamin D; Uses of vitamin D; Vitamin D; Vitamin D and pain; Vitamin D as a hormone.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure Neither Dr. D.L. Ellison nor Mrs. H.R. Moran has any commercial or financial conflicts of interest or any funding sources.

MeSH terms