Vitamin D supplements can help slow 3 -year aging

• Telomeres, protective caps at the ends of chromosomes, are an important component of healthy aging.
• A study revealed that the vitamin supplementation of aid to minimize the shortening of telomeres, which occurs as people age, and can therefore protect against age -related diseases and organic aging.
• These data add to the potential protective components of vitamin D, which experts should consider alongside potential risks and additional research.

As explained by the authors of this study, telomeresHelp protect the ends of chromosomes. The shortening of telomeres could increase the risk of death and certain diseases.

David CutlerMD, a family medical medicine certified on the board of directors at the Providence Center in Providence Saint John in Santa Monica, California, which was not involved in the study, said Medical news today that “when telomeres become too short, cells enter senescence (a non -dividing state) or apoptosis (programmed cell death). One of the conditions of cellular inactivity or death contribute to aging and age -related diseases. ”

The researchers found that vitamin D supplementation has contributed to minimizing the shortening of telomeres in white globules, which could help slow organic aging.

For this study, researchers used data from Vital test. This trial included a representative sample of adults in the United States who received vitamin D3 supplements, omega-3 fatty acid supplements or both for about five years. It was a double -blind and placebo -controlled study, so some participants received the supplements while others received the placebo. All the participants were at least fifty-five years old, and all the male participants had at least fifty.

These data specifically examined a cohort that visited the Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center. During basic and follow -up visits, the participants participated in evaluations in person and provided blood samples on an empty stomach.

The researchers examined the length of the telomeres in leukocytesWho are the white globules of the body, among the participants who received supplements and those who received the placebo.

The researchers were able to analyze more than 2,500 samples of more than 1,000 participants. They examined the length of the telomeres at the start and at two and four years, although some data lacked.

They carried out a statistical analysis using models to adjust for various covariables. They also made an exploratory subgroup analysis to see how different factors, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, had an impact on the results.

Aside from a higher body mass index in the group of omega-3 fatty acid supplements, placebo and intervention groups had similar basic characteristics. The missing data was also similar between the two groups.

Vitamin D seemed to have a positive impact on the length of the telomeres. Among the participants who received vitamin D, there was only a minimum shortening of the length of the telomeres to two and four years. On the other hand, there was a substantial shortening of telomeres in the placebo group at both times.

Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation did not seem to have a significant impact on the length of the telomeres.

The analysis of the sub-groups also suggested that the effects of vitamin D on the length of the telomeres were significant for participants who did not take drugs for cholesterol, but not for participants who took cholesterol. Vitamin D also minimized the shortening of telomeres at a statistically significant level for non -white participants.

There was no significant interaction with the body mass index, but the researchers observed that the participants who were not obese had considerably minimized the shortening of the telomeres. In addition, taking omega-3 fatty acid supplements does not seem to have an impact on the role of vitamin D over the length of the telomeres.

This analysis of the length of telomeres in this study population has certain limits. First, most of the participants were white, and all the participants were at least fifty, so it may not be possible to generalize the results to other groups.

Researchers recognize that it was a post-hoc analysis of an already completed study and that the study was not originally designed to examine the effects of supplements on the length of leukocyte telomeres. The analysis also excluded participants who had no data on the length of the leukocyte telomeres.

It is possible that the non -recorded factors have influenced the results, and the study also has all the other limitations found in the original study.

With regard to the results of the analysis of exploratory subgroups, researchers encourage prudence, note limited power and say that people should consider data as “generating hypotheses”.

After four years, there were about 37% missing cases. Researchers recognize that this reduced power and could be the reason why they have not found any supplementation in omega-3 fatty acids affecting the length of the leukocyte telomeres.

Future research can explore why vitamin D could have these effects on the length of telomeres. For example, it could be linked to an enzyme called telomerase which helps to extend telomeres and how vitamin D can protect itself against DNA damage.

Cutler also noted the following limits of the study:

“This study implied that a relatively small number of people, only looked at telomeres in white blood cells and did not largely look at the impact on the health of these telomeres changes. Thus, the clinical implications that can be derived from this study are quite limited. ”

This study suggests the potential advantages of vitamin D in relation to aging. The authors suggest that preserving the duration of telomeres in this study “could mean a 3 -year decrease in aging”.

“As we already know, vitamin D supports bones, the immune system and reduces inflammation, but this study is directly linked to the preservation of telomeres which is linked to aging and prevention of diseases. This (study) gives more general idea that vitamin D3 could do more than helping your bones, but really slow down cellular, impressive! ”

“If this is confirmed in future studies, this could mean that daily supplements (vitamin of} could actually help reduce the risks for age -related diseases. This is a door for new medical directives in the future and will be enormous for preventive medicine.”
– Yoshua Quinons, MD

However, it is also important to note the potential risks of vitamin D supplementation.

“It is unlikely that 2,000 vitamin D units have negative effects, there can be a risk for vitamin D supplements because they can cause kidney damage and other negative effects in excessive quantities. Since vitamin D is soluble, it can accumulate in our body, causing toxicity. Thus, any potential, as benefits still say.