People have sought the legendary Fountain of Youth for nearly as long as recorded history has existed. The lure of eternal youth and beauty proved too powerful for explorers like Ponce de Leon to resist.
Such a fountain may exist only in legend. But science hasn’t stopped searching for ways to stop the clock…
They’ve zeroed in on a popular vitamin that’s demonstrating much promise in the real fight against aging.
Not only does it appear to slow biological aging, but it also reduces risk for diseases generally associated with the aging process…
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The nutrient that can help protect telomeres
Telomeres are repeating sequences of DNA at the ends of chromosomes that keep the chromosomes from deteriorating. They’re sort of like the plastic end caps that prevent the fibers that make up a rope or shoelace from unraveling.
As we grow older, these telomeres become shorter. And that exposes our chromosomes to degradation that increases risks for various age-related diseases.
So far, investigators have explored two nutrients for their potential in supporting telomere length: vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids. But those studies have been short-term and small in scale, and results have been inconsistent.
This prompted researchers led by Mass General Brigham and the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University to conduct a sub-study of the VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL (VITAL) trial. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial tracked supplementation of these two nutrients in U.S. females aged 55 and older and males aged 50 and older for five years.
The VITAL Telomere sub-study included 1,054 of these participants, whose telomere length in white blood cells was assessed at the start of the study and again at years two and four. And when it came to telomer length, vitamin D3 took center stage…
Compared to those on a placebo, individuals taking 2,000 IU/day of vitamin D3 experienced significantly reduced telomere shortening over a four-year period.
In fact, this reduction prevented the equivalent of nearly three years of aging! The impact on age-related disease was also impactful. Daily, vitamin D3 supplementation:
- Reduced the incidence of advanced (metastatic or fatal) cancer by 17%.
- Reduced all incident autoimmune diseases by 22%.
- Decreased circulating high sensitivity-C-reactive protein (a chronic disease biomarker) concentrations by 19%.
“VITAL is the first large-scale and long-term randomized trial to show that vitamin D supplements protect telomeres and preserve telomere length,” says co-author Dr. JoAnn Manson, principal investigator of VITAL and chief of the Division of Preventive Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system.
“Our findings suggest that targeted vitamin D supplementation may be a promising strategy to counter a biological aging process, although further research is warranted,” says Dr. Haidong Zhu, first author of the report and a molecular geneticist at the Medical College of Georgia.
By contrast, daily supplementation with one gram of omega-3 fatty acids demonstrated no significant impact on telomere length throughout the follow-up.
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Don’t skimp on your vitamin D3
Unfortunately, the best source of vitamin D — sun exposure — is a double-edged sword, as it can cause skin cancer and visible aging of the skin. Wearing sunscreen to protect yourself from the sun’s ill effects also prevents the sun from triggering your body’s natural vitamin D production.
So, how about diet? There are only a few foods that contain vitamin D3 (the best form of vitamin D), including beef liver, egg yolks and cheese. And you would have to eat a ton of these foods to get the recommended daily amount of the nutrient.
That’s why supplementation is the best way to ensure you’re getting enough vitamin D3. Make sure you’re getting at least 2,000 IUs a day (the amount used in the VITAL study), but if you’re vitamin D-deficient, you’ll want to up that to a therapeutic dosage of 4,000 to 5,000 IUs daily, at least. The benefits are just too good to pass up…
Other health benefits associated with vitamin D include:
- A 20% reduction in the risk factors of heart disease
- Improved mood
- Increased insulin sensitivity
- Decreased formation of insoluble proteins such as beta amyloid
Sources:
Vitamin D supplements show signs of protection against biological aging — ScienceDaily
Vitamin D3 and marine ω-3 fatty acids supplementation and leukocyte telomere length: 4-year findings from the VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL (VITAL) randomized controlled trial — The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
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