Light Emitting Diodes as a Phototherapy Light Source for Increasing Vitamin D: A Review

Phototherapy is treatment that uses UV light. However, other light variations can be used for phototherapy. One of them is a light-emitting diode (LED), which is known to be more efficient than other light sources. This review aims to discuss the effectiveness of light-emitting diodes (LED) as a phototherapy light source for increasing Vitamin D. Studies from online databases (Pubmed, Proquest, and Science Direct) published around 2012 to 2022 were included in the review. A combination of search strings i.e., (“LED” or “Light Emitting Diodes”) AND (“VITAMIN D3” or “VITD3” or “25(OH)D”) were used in the literature search. Twelve research articles (human-or animal-based) showed that LED UV exposure increases vitamin D. Several articles showed that LED UV is more effective and efficient in producing vitamin D compared to natural light. This review showed that LEDs are a potential light source for phototherapy to increase vitamin D, even better compared to sunlight, and using LED as a therapeutic device is a novel technique in medical treatment and can reduce related medical costs.