Vitamin D Supplements May Help Slow Aging, New Study Finds
A study published on Thursday found that people with higher vitamin D intake may be slowing a process linked to aging.
In a paper released by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition on May 22, Mass General Brigham and the Medical College of Georgia researchers looked at results from a randomized controlled trial known as VITAL showing that taking vitamin D3 supplements can help support telomeres, which are protective ends on chromosomes.
'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 issued by Mass General Brigham. 'This is of particular interest because VITAL had 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.'
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.
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 suggested that shorter telomeres are associated with aging and a higher chance of developing certain diseases. According to a paper published by the National Institutes of Health, telomere length can potentially serve as a 'biological clock' to determine how long a cell lives or how long an organism will live.
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.
Also Read: $67 In France And $798 In US – Why Prescription Drug Prices Are So High In America
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Vitamin D May Help Slow Cellular Aging, Study Finds
vitamin D supplementThe Reality Of Vitamin D SupplementationEvery morning, millions of people take a vitamin D supplement, thinking mostly about stronger bones and a healthier immune system. However, quietly, at the cellular level, something else may be happening—something that could change how we think about aging. A long-running study recently found that people who took daily vitamin D supplements for four years had slightly less shortening of their telomeres—a marker linked to cellular aging—than those who didn't. While experts caution that the real-world health benefits remain unclear, the findings could shed light on the protective effects of vitamin D on specific aging-related diseases, the study authors noted. The study, known as the VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL (VITAL), showed that people taking 2,000 IUs of vitamin D lost about 140 fewer base pairs from their telomeres than those taking a placebo—a small but statistically significant difference. Telomeres are regions of DNA at the ends of chromosomes that naturally shorten with age. Shorter telomeres have been linked to health risks like heart disease and Alzheimer's disease. The study findings suggest a promising role for vitamin D in slowing a pathway for biological aging and age-related chronic disease, Dr. JoAnn Manson, the study's coauthor and a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, said in an email to The Epoch Times. Although the results are encouraging, Manson says more research is needed. 'Replication of these results in another randomized trial will be important before changing general guidelines for vitamin D intake.' Participants in the study started out with an average of 8,700 base pairs. Independent experts say the difference in loss of base pairs observed in the study is very small and falls within the range of normal fluctuation, meaning it may not translate into measurable real-world benefits. 'This 140-base-pair difference is like saying your hemoglobin went from 13.0 to 13.1,' said Dr. Mary Armanios, a professor of oncology and director of the Telomere Center at Johns Hopkins University. 'It trends in the right direction, but it doesn't carry clinical meaning.' 'It is only at the extremes that telomere length matters in aging,' she added. More broadly, Armanios cautioned against thinking of telomeres as a simple aging clock. While very short telomeres can signal aging-related disease, unusually long ones are not always better and have been linked to higher cancer risk, according to 2023 research from her group published in the New England Journal of Medicine. 'Most people fall in a healthy middle range, and that's exactly where we want to be,' she said. She also noted that the method used to measure telomere length—quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)—can be affected by lab factors like temperature and sample handling. These variables can make small differences unreliable. Among telomere testing methods, qPCR is the least reproducible. While some experts urge caution in interpreting the telomere data, Manson said the new findings align with earlier VITAL results. Those results showed that vitamin D reduced inflammatory markers and lowered the risk of advanced cancers and autoimmune diseases by improving immune function. Previous studies on vitamin D and telomere length have shown mixed results, including some that found no effect—or even a correlation between higher vitamin D levels and shorter telomeres. Guidelines from the National Academy of Medicine recommend 600 IU per day for most adults and 800 IU for those over 70. The Endocrine Society also recommends supplements for older adults, people with prediabetes, and others at higher risk of deficiency. 'Most professional societies do not recommend routine vitamin D screening or supplementation for the general population,' said Manson. However, certain groups—older adults, those with limited sun exposure or absorption issues such as Crohn's disease or celiac disease—may benefit from modest supplementation. Other studies have suggested that vitamin D may promote healthy aging in older people. The DO-HEALTH trial, a large European study in adults age 70 and older, found that daily 2,000 IU of vitamin D led to modest improvements in bone strength and infection rates—but not a reduction in new chronic diseases. Longer-term observational research, like Germany's ESTHER study, linked higher vitamin D levels with lower rates of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality. However, as a nonrandomized study, it couldn't rule out confounding lifestyle factors. More large, diverse, and long-term trials are needed to determine who benefits most, at what dose, and for which outcomes. Vitamin D metabolism is tightly regulated by the body, so only small to moderate amounts are needed to support health. A 2,000 IU daily dose is safe, as demonstrated in the five-year VITAL trial, with no increased risk of side effects. Very large doses—over 10,000 IU per day—may lead to elevated calcium levels and potential toxicity, Manson noted. For now, experts agree that this latest analysis does not mean everyone should start taking vitamin D supplements to slow aging. 'Vitamin D has known benefits, like for bone health,' Armanios said, 'but telomere length shouldn't be the main reason to start taking supplements.' However, for those already taking vitamin D for bone, muscle, or immune support, the findings may offer one more reason to continue. Vitamin D is found in fortified foods such as milk, cereal, and orange juice, and in fatty fish like salmon and sardines. Moderate sun exposure also helps the body make its own supply. 'Although it's easier to pop a pill,' said Armanios, 'being active outdoors and eating a healthy diet will do far more to support long-term health.' Marion Nestle, a professor emerita of nutrition and public health at New York University, said the findings are intriguing but still require further confirmation and clarity on their clinical significance. In the meantime, she encouraged people to spend time outdoors when possible, noting that 'sunlight on skin is the best source of vitamin D, far superior to supplements—even if just for a few minutes a day.'
Gulf Insider
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Vitamin D Supplements May Help Slow Aging, New Study Finds
A study published on Thursday found that people with higher vitamin D intake may be slowing a process linked to aging. In a paper released by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition on May 22, Mass General Brigham and the Medical College of Georgia researchers looked at results from a randomized controlled trial known as VITAL showing that taking vitamin D3 supplements can help support telomeres, which are protective ends on chromosomes. '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 issued by Mass General Brigham. 'This is of particular interest because VITAL had 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.' 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. 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 suggested that shorter telomeres are associated with aging and a higher chance of developing certain diseases. According to a paper published by the National Institutes of Health, telomere length can potentially serve as a 'biological clock' to determine how long a cell lives or how long an organism will live. 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. Also Read: $67 In France And $798 In US – Why Prescription Drug Prices Are So High In America
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Also, the average time between relapses or further lesions were detected was longer for those taking vitamin D—432 days compared to 224 days for those on placebo. Researchers primarily observed a reduction in detected nerve lesions. There was not a significant difference in the rate of relapses between the two groups, meaning that vitamin D did not prevent the return of symptoms. Click here to purchase Vitamin K2/D3 on its own, or buy Ultimate Omega 3 and receive a bottle of K2/D3 for free. These results make high-dose vitamin D a candidate for further studies evaluating add-on therapy in the therapeutic strategy for managing MS, noted the study authors. Vitamin D exerts its effects primarily by calming down the immune system. It affects immune cells' activity and reduces inflammation in the central nervous system, potentially promoting neuroprotection and regrowth of myelin, fatty tissue that gets destroyed in CIS and MS. 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The concern is someone potentially developing an abnormally high level of calcium in the blood and the complications linked to that—such as kidney stones, gastrointestinal upset, and cardiac issues—which are all based on having a toxic, very high level of calcium that can be measure in the blood, she added. 'They didn't really see any direct calcium related toxicity at all in the study, suggesting that this particular cohort, on the pulse high dose oral vitamin D, were tolerating it very well,' Coyle said. 'This suggests that that was pretty safe.' She emphasized this could especially benefit people who live in regions where access to conventional MS treatment is limited. Conventional MS drugs fight the disease by blocking inflammation or certain immune cells from causing further damage. While the trial's primary outcome was achieved, Coyle said that the absence of a documented clinical benefit, despite MRI observations, is 'a little bit odd.' She suggested this may indicate the need for further research, explaining that if patients had less nerve lesions as detected by MRI, they should also have less relapses in neurological symptoms. 'This is not the end of the story,' Coyle added, pointing out that the current findings warrant additional studies to explore the full potential of high-dose vitamin D in MS management. 'But it's giving a rationale for saying this high dose therapy may decrease damage to the central nervous system,' she said. 'Which is something we always want with MS, so it certainly justifies doing further studies to try to document this benefit.' Also read: The Drug Warnings You May Never See – Until It's Too Late
