Harvard study says Vitamin D may actually slow down aging
Yes, you read that right.
The study, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, focused on telomeres—tiny protective caps at the ends of your chromosomes. As we age, these tips wear down, which is linked to age-related diseases like heart problems, certain cancers, and more. The shorter the telomeres, the more worn out your cells are.
Now, here's where it gets cool: Researchers looked at data from the well-known VITAL study—a long-term clinical trial where participants were randomly given either vitamin D3 (2,000 IU/day), omega-3 fatty acids (1 g/day), or a placebo.
The telomere sub-study followed over 1,000 people (women 55+ and men 50+) for up to four years.
The results? Those taking vitamin D had significantly less telomere shortening compared to those on placebo. In fact, vitamin D slowed the rate of cellular aging by what would've been the equivalent of nearly three years! That's a pretty big deal when you're trying to keep your cells (and yourself) feeling young.
Omega-3s, on the other hand, didn't seem to make much of a difference in this case—at least not for telomere length.
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While more research is always welcome, this study adds to growing evidence that vitamin D does more than just support your bones and immunity. It may also be quietly working behind the scenes to keep your cells younger, longer.
'VITAL is the first large-scale and long-term randomized trial to show that vitamin D supplements protect telomeres and preserve telomere length,' said co-author JoAnn Manson, the principal investigator of VITAL and chief of the Division of Preventive Medicine at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Michael and Lee Bell Professor of Women's Health at Harvard Medical School.
'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,' said Manson.
'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, first author of the report and a molecular geneticist at the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University.
Vitamin D is one of those nutrients that quietly does a ton of important stuff in your body—and most of us don't even realize we're running low on it. Nicknamed the 'sunshine vitamin' because your body makes it when sunlight hits your skin, vitamin D helps your bones stay strong by making sure you absorb enough calcium. Without it, your bones can get weak, brittle, and way more prone to breaking.
But that's just the beginning. Vitamin D also supports your immune system—so you're better equipped to fight off colds, flu, and even chronic inflammation. Some studies say it may help improve your mood, too, and there's growing research linking low vitamin D to issues like depression, fatigue, and brain fog. The catch? A lot of us don't get enough sun, especially if we're indoors all day or live in cloudy places. That's where food and supplements come in—fatty fish, egg yolks, fortified milk, or a daily D3 capsule can help fill the gap.
Don't ghost your vitamin D. So if you've been slacking on your vitamin D intake (especially if you're not getting much sun), this might be the nudge you needed to start adding it to your daily routine.
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