Vitamin D Supplements May Slow Process Linked to Aging, New Study Says
A study published on Thursday found that people with higher vitamin D intake may be slowing a process linked to aging.
In a
'VITAL is the first large-scale and long-term randomized trial to show that vitamin D supplements protect telomeres and preserve telomere length,' co-author JoAnn Manson said in a statement
VITAL, they said, is a randomized, placebo-controlled, and double-blind trial of vitamin D3 and omega-3 supplementation involving U.S. females aged 55 and older and males aged 50 and older. Participants took 2,000 IU, or about 50 micrograms, of vitamin D3 per day and about 1 gram of omega-3 per day.
In their research, they found that when taking vitamin D3 supplements as compared with taking a placebo, it significantly reduced the shortening of telomeres over a four-year period and was able to prevent 'the equivalent of nearly three years of aging,' the statement said.
The researchers said that while several smaller-scale studies have suggested that vitamin D or omega-4 fatty acid supplements could help maintain telomeres, the results haven't been consistent.
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The researchers also noted that taking omega-3 supplements did not have a significant effect on the length of telomeres. Omega-3 is also commonly found in fish oil supplements and is associated with several benefits to the heart, brain, and joints.
'Our findings suggest that targeted vitamin D supplementation may be a promising strategy to counter a biological aging process, although further research is warranted,' Haidong Zhu, an author of the study who works at Augusta University's Medical College of Georgia, said in a statement.
Separate research has
Telomeres, which are made of sequences of DNA, prevent the ends of chromosomes from merging with other chromosomes or deteriorating over time, the researchers noted.
Vitamin D can be obtained through sunlight or foods such as fatty fish, egg yolks, cheeses, orange juice, fortified cereals, and certain types of mushrooms.
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Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Yahoo
Common daily vitamin could slow biological aging, major study suggests
Vitamin D might be doing more than just supporting bone health — it could also help the body age slower, according to a new study led by researchers at Mass General Brigham (MGB) and the Medical College of Georgia. The study, published this month in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, reveals that taking vitamin D supplements may protect against biological aging by slowing the shortening of telomeres, the tiny caps on DNA that naturally erode as people grow older. Conducted as part of a nationwide four-year trial, the study tracked over 1,000 U.S. adults (men over 50 and women over 55) and found that daily vitamin D3 could reduce biological wear and tear, equivalent to nearly three years of aging, according to a press release from MGB. Colorectal Cancer Risk Reduced By This Common Vitamin, Study Suggests Participants were randomly assigned to take either a placebo or a daily dose of vitamin D3 (2,000 IU) and omega-3 fatty acids (1 gram). Telomere length in white blood cells was measured at the start of the study, at the two-year mark and after four years. Read On The Fox News App Compared to the placebo group, those taking vitamin D3 had significantly less telomere shortening, the researchers found. In contrast, omega-3 supplements "had no significant effect on telomere length throughout follow-up," the team reported. Aging May Speed Up In Areas With Extreme Heat, Research Suggests This was the first large-scale, long-term randomized trial to show that vitamin D supplements protect telomeres, according to co-author JoAnn Manson, M.D., the Michael and Lee Bell Professor of Women's Health at Harvard Medical School. "This is of particular interest because VITAL (the trial) has also shown benefits of vitamin D in reducing inflammation and lowering risks of selected chronic diseases of aging, such as advanced cancer and autoimmune disease," Manson said in the release. Telomeres act like protective tips at the ends of chromosomes, similar to the plastic ends of shoelaces, according to the researchers. They "prevent chromosome ends from degrading or fusing with other chromosomes." Over time, these DNA caps shorten, which is a natural part of aging and is linked to a higher risk of age-related diseases. Because of this, scientists view telomere length as a marker of "biological age," which may better reflect a person's health status than their actual age in years. Earlier phases of the trial showed that vitamin D supplementation could reduce inflammation and lower the risk of certain chronic age-related conditions, such as advanced cancers and autoimmune diseases, Manson noted. Click Here To Sign Up For Our Health Newsletter While the new telomere findings don't prove that vitamin D slows aging across the board, researchers say it points to a potentially powerful way to protect the body at the cellular level. "Our findings suggest that targeted vitamin D supplementation may be a promising strategy to counter the biological aging process, although further research is warranted," said first author Dr. Haidong Zhu, a molecular geneticist at the Medical College of Georgia, in the release. The research team emphasized that more work is needed to determine how vitamin D impacts aging in different populations and whether these effects endure over longer timeframes. For more Health articles, visit Before starting a new supplement regimen, experts recommend consulting with a healthcare provider to discuss proper dosage and potential article source: Common daily vitamin could slow biological aging, major study suggests
Fox News
27-05-2025
- Fox News
Common daily vitamin could slow biological aging, major study suggests
Vitamin D might be doing more than just supporting bone health — it could also help the body age slower, according to a new study led by researchers at Mass General Brigham (MGB) and the Medical College of Georgia. The study, published this month in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, reveals that taking vitamin D supplements may protect against biological aging by slowing the shortening of telomeres, the tiny caps on DNA that naturally erode as people grow older. Conducted as part of a nationwide four-year trial, the study tracked over 1,000 U.S. adults (men over 50 and women over 55) and found that daily vitamin D3 could reduce biological wear and tear, equivalent to nearly three years of aging, according to a press release from MGB. Participants were randomly assigned to take either a placebo or a daily dose of vitamin D3 (2,000 IU) and omega-3 fatty acids (1 gram). Telomere length in white blood cells was measured at the start of the study, at the two-year mark and after four years. Compared to the placebo group, those taking vitamin D3 had significantly less telomere shortening, the researchers found. In contrast, omega-3 supplements "had no significant effect on telomere length throughout follow-up," the team reported. This was the first large-scale, long-term randomized trial to show that vitamin D supplements protect telomeres, according to co-author JoAnn Manson, M.D., the Michael and Lee Bell Professor of Women's Health at Harvard Medical School. "This is of particular interest because VITAL (the trial) has also shown benefits of vitamin D in reducing inflammation and lowering risks of selected chronic diseases of aging, such as advanced cancer and autoimmune disease," Manson said in the release. Telomeres act like protective tips at the ends of chromosomes, similar to the plastic ends of shoelaces, according to the researchers. They "prevent chromosome ends from degrading or fusing with other chromosomes." Over time, these DNA caps shorten, which is a natural part of aging and is linked to a higher risk of age-related diseases. Because of this, scientists view telomere length as a marker of "biological age," which may better reflect a person's health status than their actual age in years. Earlier phases of the trial showed that vitamin D supplementation could reduce inflammation and lower the risk of certain chronic age-related conditions, such as advanced cancers and autoimmune diseases, Manson noted. While the new telomere findings don't prove that vitamin D slows aging across the board, researchers say it points to a potentially powerful way to protect the body at the cellular level. "Our findings suggest that targeted vitamin D supplementation may be a promising strategy to counter the biological aging process, although further research is warranted," said first author Dr. Haidong Zhu, a molecular geneticist at the Medical College of Georgia, in the release. Previous research suggested vitamin D could reduce inflammation and lower the risk of some age-related diseases. The research team emphasized that more work is needed to determine how vitamin D impacts aging in different populations and whether these effects endure over longer timeframes. For more Health articles, visit Before starting a new supplement regimen, experts recommend consulting with a healthcare provider to discuss proper dosage and potential risks.
Health Line
24-05-2025
- Health Line
Vitamin D May Slow Biological Aging and Help You Live Longer
A new study suggests that vitamin D supplementation may help preserve the lengths of the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes known as telomeres. Researchers say maintaining the length of telomeres may help slow some aspects of biological aging. Telomere length is an important component of healthy aging, but the role vitamin D can play isn't yet certain. 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. Experts agree the new research is interesting, but they note it has its limits. 'Telomere length was protected with vitamin D supplementation, but it's not clear how that translates to real life biological aging,' Marilyn Tan, MD, a clinical associate professor of medicine at Stanford University in California, told Healthline. Tan wasn't involved in the study. 'The present study involved only a relatively small number of people, looked only at telomeres in white blood cells, and did not look extensively at the health impact of these telomere changes,' added David Cutler, MD, a family medicine physician at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California. 'So, the clinical implications one can derive from this study are quite limited.' Cutler was likewise not involved in the study. Vitamin D and the aging process 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. For their study, the researchers tracked 1,054 participants to see if vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids can lessen telomere shortening and slow biological aging. The study group included females ages 55 and older and males ages 50 and older. The researchers followed the participants for five years, measuring telomere length in white blood cells at baseline, year two, and year four. The researchers reported that omega-3 fatty acids had no significant effect on telomere length. However, they said vitamin D3 supplements significantly reduced telomere shortening and prevented the equivalent of nearly three years of aging in people who took vitamin D in comparison to people who were given a placebo. Experts say such a slowdown in the aging process has important benefits. 'Slowing biological aging may improve life expectancy and quality of life, and it could reduce the risk of various disease states,' Tan said. How to boost your vitamin D intake It's estimated that 35% of people in the United States have a deficiency of vitamin D. The current recommendation for daily vitamin D consumption is 400 to 800 international units for most healthy people. Vitamin D is known as the 'sunshine vitamin' because the best source for it is sunlight. Your body makes dietary vitamin D3 out of the cholesterol in the skin when it is exposed to the sun's UV rays. The best time to get the most of this beneficial sunlight is noon, when the sun is at its peak. However, experts say that too much sunlight can cause sunburns, eye damage, heatstroke, and skin cancer. There aren't a lot of foods that are sufficient sources of vitamin D, but there are a few. They are: cod liver oil cooked swordfish cooked salmon canned tuna cooked beef liver large egg yolks In addition, you can drink milk fortified with vitamin D. Some types of mushrooms as well as cheese can also be healthy sources for vitamin D. Tan said the amount of vitamin D a person needs depends on the individual. 'The ideal amount of supplementation depends on one's baseline vitamin D level,' she explained. 'Various factors can impact vitamin D levels and metabolism, including sun exposure, time of year, geographical location, skin tone, kidney function, among other factors.' 'While sun exposure can increase vitamin D levels, excessive UV exposure has other health risks,' Tan noted. 'Vitamin D can be obtained to a certain degree from the diet, but people often need additional supplemental vitamins. To know exactly how much vitamin D supplementation one needs, you should discuss with your healthcare provider.' Cutler said people with healthy vitamin D levels probably don't need supplementation. 'There have been many studies involving tens of thousands of people seeking to document [the] benefits of vitamin D in healthy adults with normal vitamin D levels, and no benefits have been found,' Cutler told Healthline. 'There has been no documentation of reduced cancer rates, less cardiovascular disease, increased longevity, protection from infection, or improved outcomes from COVID.'
