{"id":1541641,"date":"2025-06-13T22:55:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-14T02:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/?p=1541641"},"modified":"2025-06-13T22:55:00","modified_gmt":"2025-06-14T02:55:00","slug":"vitamin-d-may-help-slow-cellular-aging-study-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/vitamin-d-may-help-slow-cellular-aging-study-finds\/1541641\/","title":{"rendered":"Vitamin D May Help Slow Cellular Aging, Study Finds"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vitamin D May Help Slow Cellular Aging, Study Finds<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Authored by Cara Michelle Miller via The Epoch Times<\/a> (emphasis ours),<\/em><\/p>\n

Every morning, millions of people take a vitamin D supplement, thinking mostly about stronger bones and a healthier immune system.<\/strong> However, quietly, at the cellular level, something else may be happening\u2014something that could change how we think about aging.<\/p>\n

FotoHelin\/Shutterstock<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

A long-running study<\/a> recently found that people who took daily vitamin D supplements for four years had slightly less shortening of their telomeres<\/strong>\u2014a marker linked to cellular aging\u2014than those who didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

A Small but Significant Finding<\/h2>\n

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<\/strong>\u2014a small but statistically significant difference.<\/p>\n

Telomeres are regions of DNA at the ends of chromosomes that naturally shorten with age<\/strong>. Shorter telomeres have been linked<\/a> to health risks like heart disease and Alzheimer\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n

The study findings suggest a promising role for vitamin D<\/strong> in slowing a pathway for biological aging and age-related chronic disease, Dr. JoAnn Manson, the study\u2019s coauthor and a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, said in an email to The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n

Although the results are encouraging, Manson says more research is needed. \u201cReplication of these results in another randomized trial will be important before changing general guidelines for vitamin D intake.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Reality Check<\/h2>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis 140-base-pair difference is like saying your hemoglobin went from 13.0 to 13.1,<\/strong>\u201d said Dr. Mary Armanios, a professor of oncology and director of the Telomere Center at Johns Hopkins University. \u201cIt trends in the right direction, but it doesn\u2019t carry clinical meaning.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is only at the extremes that telomere length matters in aging,\u201d she added.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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<\/a> from her group published in the New England Journal of Medicine.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost people fall in a healthy middle range, and that\u2019s exactly where we want to be<\/strong>,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She also noted that the method used to measure telomere length\u2014quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)\u2014can 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.<\/p>\n

A Closer Look at Vitamin D Supplementation<\/h2>\n

While some experts urge caution in interpreting the telomere data, Manson said the new findings align with earlier VITAL results<\/strong>. Those results showed that vitamin D reduced inflammatory markers and lowered the risk of advanced cancers and autoimmune diseases by improving immune function.<\/p>\n

Previous studies on vitamin D and telomere length have shown mixed results, including some that found no effect\u2014or even a correlation between higher vitamin D levels<\/a> and shorter telomeres.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost professional societies do not recommend routine vitamin D screening or supplementation for the general population,\u201d said Manson.<\/p>\n

However, certain groups\u2014older adults, those with limited sun exposure or absorption issues such as Crohn\u2019s disease or celiac disease\u2014may benefit from modest supplementation.<\/p>\n

Other studies have suggested that vitamin D may promote healthy aging in older people.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The DO-HEALTH trial<\/a>, 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\u2014but not a reduction in new chronic diseases.<\/p>\n

Longer-term observational research, like Germany\u2019s ESTHER study<\/a>, linked higher vitamin D levels with lower rates of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality. However, as a nonrandomized study, it couldn\u2019t rule out confounding lifestyle factors.<\/p>\n

More large, diverse, and long-term trials are needed to determine who benefits most, at what dose, and for which outcomes.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Very large doses\u2014over 10,000 IU per day\u2014may lead to elevated calcium levels and potential toxicity, Manson noted.<\/p>\n

What This Means for You<\/h2>\n

For now, experts agree that this latest analysis does not mean everyone should start taking vitamin D supplements to slow aging.<\/p>\n

\u201cVitamin D has known benefits, like for bone health<\/strong>,\u201d Armanios said, \u201cbut telomere length shouldn\u2019t be the main reason to start taking supplements.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, for those already taking vitamin D for bone, muscle, or immune support, the findings may offer one more reason to continue.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough it\u2019s easier to pop a pill,\u201d said Armanios, \u201cbeing active outdoors and eating a healthy diet will do far more to support long-term health.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the meantime, she encouraged people to spend time outdoors when possible, noting that \u201csunlight on skin is the best source of vitamin D, far superior to supplements\u2014even if just for a few minutes a day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pick up some potent Vitamin D here<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Tyler Durden<\/a><\/span>
\nFri, 06\/13\/2025 – 18:55<\/span><\/p>\n

\u200bhttps:\/\/www.zerohedge.com\/political\/vitamin-d-may-help-slow-cellular-aging-study-finds<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Vitamin D May Help Slow Cellular Aging, Study Finds Authored by Cara Michelle Miller via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), Every morning, millions of people…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1541642,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1541641","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","wpcat-1-id"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbimBl-6t3b","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/06\/image_922818729_0-5KMeUI.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1541641","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1541641"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1541641\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1541642"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1541641"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1541641"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1541641"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}