Common everyday vitamin could slow the rate of ageing, study finds
The study had 1,054 participants in total who had special tests at the start of the trial, as well as in year 2 and year 4. During this test, they measured the length of their telomeres. What exactly are telomeres? Speaking to BBC Science Focus Magazine, Professor Morten Scheibye-Knudsen from the University of Copenhagen – who wasn’t involved in the study – explained. He said: ‘Think of them as the plastic tips on the ends of shoelaces – they prevent chromosomes from fraying or sticking to each other, which helps maintain the stability of genetic information during cell division’ (Picture: Getty)
Essentially, what happens is that each time a cell divides, the telomeres get a little shorter, and when they become too short, they can't divide anymore – meaning that the cells are no longer able to function. But the study revealed those who took vitamin D had less telomere shortening, which prevented to the equivalent of three years of ageing in the study period (Picture: Getty)
The study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, which assessed data from the 'Vital' clinical trial. Co-author Dr JoAnn Manson said: ‘VITAL is the first large-scale and long-term randomized trial to show that vitamin D supplements protect telomeres and preserve telomere length. 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’ (Picture: Getty)
Did the omega-3 fatty acid help?
The researchers also discovered the omega-3 fatty acid supplement they gave some participants did not have any significant effect on telomere length throughout the follow up. Dr Haidong Zhu, first author of the study, said: ‘Our findings suggest that targeted vitamin D supplementation may be a promising strategy to counter a biological ageing process, although further research is warranted. Vitamin D3 daily supplementation with or without omega 3 fatty acids might have a role in counteracting telomere erosion or cell senescence’ (Picture: Getty)
