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Vitamin D delays aging at genetic level
The more vitamin D in your body, the younger your DNA is, researchers at the London School of Medicine suggest in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Higher levels of the vitamin D metabolite 25-hydroxyvitamin D may be correlated with longer telomeres in the genome.
Telomeres
Telomeres are like the little plastic cover at the end of a shoelace. If that cover isn't there, the shoelace starts to fray. The telomeres form a cover to protect the repetitive DNA ends of the chromosomes.
Each time cells divide the cover gets smaller. If it disappears, the genetic material starts to fray and is destroyed. The length of the telomeres is therefore an indicator of how worn out the genetic material is. The longer the telomere, the longer you still have to live. At least, according to a popular theory.
Study
The Brits measured the length of the telomeres in the white blood cells of over two thousand women. They also measured the concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in the women's blood. This is the active vitamin D metabolite that is made when the skin is exposed to sunlight.
The researchers also measured the concentration of C-reactive protein (CRP) in the women's blood. CRP is an inflammatory protein that helps get rid of undesirable intruders, but it is also a marker of processes in which the body's immune system turns against its own cells.
Conclusion
Researcher Thomas von Zglinicki of the University of Newcastle told the BBC that he is not sure whether vitamin D actually slows down the aging process. At the individual level, the length of telomeres is not a very reliable predictor of aging, he says. "Other studies have found that people who die at the same age can have significant differences in their telomere length - up to 30 times the differences described in this study."Sources:
Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Nov;86(5):1420-1425.
The more vitamin D in your body, the younger your DNA is, researchers at the London School of Medicine suggest in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Higher levels of the vitamin D metabolite 25-hydroxyvitamin D may be correlated with longer telomeres in the genome.
Telomeres
Telomeres are like the little plastic cover at the end of a shoelace. If that cover isn't there, the shoelace starts to fray. The telomeres form a cover to protect the repetitive DNA ends of the chromosomes.
Each time cells divide the cover gets smaller. If it disappears, the genetic material starts to fray and is destroyed. The length of the telomeres is therefore an indicator of how worn out the genetic material is. The longer the telomere, the longer you still have to live. At least, according to a popular theory.
Study
The Brits measured the length of the telomeres in the white blood cells of over two thousand women. They also measured the concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in the women's blood. This is the active vitamin D metabolite that is made when the skin is exposed to sunlight.
Conclusion
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Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Nov;86(5):1420-1425.
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