A new study reports that vitamin D supplementation may help slow some of the mechanisms of biological aging.
The research, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, suggests that vitamin D may help maintain the stability of telomeres, the protective caps at the end of chromosomes that tend to shorten as people get older.
That shortening is a natural part of aging, but it has been linked to certain age-related diseases. Among those diseases are cancer of the bladder, lungs, kidneys, and gastrointestinal systems.
“Our findings suggest that targeted vitamin D supplementation may be a promising strategy to counter a biological aging process, although further research is warranted,” said Haidong Zhu, MD, PhD, the first author of the study and a molecular geneticist at the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, in a statement.
The researchers based their findings on the results of the VITAL randomized controlled clinical trial, which was overseen by Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
Key Takeaways From This Study:
Maintaining the length of telomeres may help slow some aspects of biological aging.
Telomere length is an important component of healthy aging, and vitamin D may play a role in preserving telomere length.
It’s estimated that 35% of people in the United States have a deficiency of vitamin D.
The current recommended daily vitamin D consumption is 400 to 800 international units for most healthy people.
In addition to maintaining healthy vitamin D levels, the researchers said, “The best-supported strategies to preserve telomere length are exercise, diet, stress management, adequate sleep, and avoiding harmful substances like tobacco and alcohol. These lifestyle changes don’t just preserve telomeres — they also broadly support healthy aging.”
You can read the complete study published in The Journal of Clinical Nutrition by clicking on the link.