Apart from strengthening bones, vitamin D supplements can also slow biological ageing by three years, a new study shows.
The findings, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, offer evidence that vitamin D3 may help preserve telomere length. Telomeres are the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes that naturally shorten with age. Shorter telomeres are linked to chronic diseases, like cardiovascular disease, weakened immunity, and reduced organ function.
Scientists at Mass General Brigham and the Medical College of Georgia led a trial that tracked over 25,000 US adults for five years. The telomere substudy, called the VITAL Telomere study, focused on 1,054 participants whose telomere length was measured at the start of the study and again after two and four years.
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The study found that those who took 2,000 IU (International Units) of vitamin D3 had significantly longer telomeres than those on placebo after four years. The difference was comparable to nearly three fewer years of biological ageing. Omega-3 fatty acid supplements, which were also tested in the trial, did not have any measurable impact on telomere length.
“VITAL is the first large-scale, long-term randomised trial to show that vitamin D protects telomeres,” said Dr. JoAnn Manson, co-author and principal investigator of the VITAL study. She added that vitamin D has also been shown to reduce inflammation and lower the risk of chronic diseases like advanced cancer and autoimmune conditions.
“Our findings suggest that vitamin D supplementation could be a promising strategy to slow down cellular ageing,” said lead author Dr Haidong Zhu, a molecular geneticist at Augusta University.
Earlier studies had hinted that vitamin D might help in protecting telomeres, but those were small and short-term. Vitamin D3 is known to maintain bone strength, boost immunity, and aid calcium absorption. Low levels have been linked to immune problems, brain disorders, and dementia in older adults.
