Not just bone health, vitamin D supplements may also slow down ageing process
Regular vitamin D supplements, known to support bone health and improve muscle strength, can also slow down a person's ageing process, according to a new study.The findings come from a sub-study of the large-scale 'VITAL' trial and were recently published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.Researchers at Mass General Brigham and the Medical College of Georgia have reported that vitamin D supplementation can help maintain the length of telomeres (protective caps at the ends of chromosomes that naturally shorten with age).advertisement
This shortening process is linked to the development of age-related diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular issues, and certain autoimmune disorders."VITAL is the first large-scale and long-term randomised trial to show that vitamin D supplements protect telomeres and preserve telomere length,' said Dr JoAnn Manson, principal investigator of the study.She added that earlier findings from the same trial had already shown that vitamin D can reduce inflammation and lower the risk of some chronic diseases.Telomeres function much like the plastic tips at the ends of shoelaces.They protect our chromosomes from damage, but every time a cell divides, telomeres become slightly shorter. When they get too short, the cell can no longer divide and eventually dies, a process linked to ageing and disease.Earlier studies had hinted that vitamin D might help in protecting telomeres, but those were small and short-term.advertisementThe VITAL trial, by contrast, tracked over 25,000 adults across the United States for five years. The telomere sub-study focused on 1,054 participants, whose white blood cell telomere lengths were measured at the start of the study and again in the second and fourth years.The findings showed that those who took 2,000 IU (International Units) of vitamin D3 daily experienced less telomere shortening over four years than those who took a placebo.The difference was comparable to nearly three fewer years of biological ageing.When compared with omega-3 fatty acid supplements, which were also tested in the trial, did not have any measurable impact on telomere length.Dr Haidong Zhu, lead author and a geneticist at the Medical College of Georgia, said that the findings suggest that targeted vitamin D supplementation "may be a promising strategy to counter a biological ageing process,"However, further research is warranted.The study adds to growing evidence that vitamin D is not just important for bone health, but could also help with healthy ageing.Trending Reel
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