A daily dose of vitamin D could help combat ageing, according to a recent study.
It found that taking vitamin D supplements for four years managed to prevent three years’ worth of ageing.
Previous studies have hinted that vitamin D supplements can help combat some of the biggest signs of ageing, which are linked to many age-related diseases such as cancer, heart disease and dementia.
To put this theory to the test, researchers from Mass General Brigham and the Medical College of Georgia studied the results of a previous trial. That experiment enlisted thousands of women over 55 and men over 50, asking them to take a daily dose of either vitamin D, omega 3 or a placebo for the next five years.
The new study focused on 1054 participants who had special tests at the beginning of the trial, at Year 2 and Year 4, measuring the length of their telomeres.
Telomeres are repeating sequences of DNA that cap chromosomes, Professor Morten Schiebye-Knudsen from the University of Copenhagen, who wasn’t involved with the study, explained to BBC Science Focus Magazine.
“Think of them as the plastic tips on the ends of shoelaces – they prevent chromosomes from fraying or sticking to each other, which helps maintain the stability of genetic information during cell division,” he said.
Each time a cell divides, the telomeres get a little shorter. When the telomeres become too short, they lose their ability to divide, meaning their cells can no longer function.
The study found that participants who took vitamin D experienced considerably less telomere shortening, preventing the equivalent of almost three years of ageing.
This could be a key insight into keeping people healthy longer, as telomere shortening is linked to many age-related diseases.
“I often refer to them as angry old men – cells that have lost their function in life, become inactive and make the environment around them bad,” said Schiebye-Knudsen.
“Telomere shortening may contribute to more angry old cells and therefore more inflammation in our body, particularly in cells that divide a lot, like our bone marrow, skin and hair.”
About our expert
Morten Schiebye-Knudsen is an associate professor at the University of Copenhagen's Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine.
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