Live longer, have longer telomeres with vit D, study says

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Study measured telomeres - part of a chromosome which shortens with

age - in more than 2,000 women and found those who had higher levels

of the vitamin in their body had longer telomeres. (Telomere length is

a predictor of ageing-related disease).

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http://www.nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp?n=81242 & m=1NIEN09 & c=lqeudkujayvvlpc

full text:

Live longer with vitamin D, study says

By McNally

09/11/2007- Vitamin D may help slow down the ageing process,

scientists have found, adding further weight to the importance of

adequate intake of the vitamin.

Researchers from King's College, London, measured telomeres - part of

a chromosome which shortens with age - in more than 2,000 women and

found those who had higher levels of the vitamin in their body had

longer telomeres.

Writing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the scientists

looked at 2,160 women aged 18 to 79 years and measured leukocyte

telomere length (LTL). LTL is a predictor of ageing-related disease

and decreases with each cell cycle and increased inflammation, the

scientists said.

Scientists measured concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (the

'storage' form of vitamin D) and found a link between increased

concentrations and telomere length.

They found that after taking into account the age of the volunteer,

women with higher levels of vitamin D were more likely to have longer

telomeres.

They wrote: " The difference in LTL between the highest and lowest

tertiles of vitamin D was 107 base pairs, which is equivalent to five

years of telomeric ageing. This difference was further accentuated by

increased concentrations of C-reactive protein, which is a measure of

systemic inflammation. "

The team concluded that higher vitamin D concentrations, which are

" easily modifiable through nutritional supplementation " , are

associated with longer LTL, which underscores the potentially

beneficial effects of vitamin D on ageing and age-related diseases.

Lead researcher Dr Brent s said: " These results demonstrate for

the first time that people who have higher levels of vitamin D may age

more slowly than people with lower levels of vitamin D.

" This could help to explain how vitamin D has a protective effect on

many ageing related diseases, such as heart disease and cancer.

Further studies are required to confirm these findings. "

They also found that out of the women tested, 700 already took vitamin

D supplements, and had longer telomeres than those who did not.

However, the scientists gave no indication of what levels of

supplementation would be needed to achieve these results.

The scientific community has already called for an increase in the

recommended level of vitamin D intake.

Currently, the recommended daily intake is set at 400 IU, and the

tolerable upper intake level (UL) in Europe and the US is set at 2000

International Units (IU), equivalent to 50 micrograms per day.

Research, particularly from clinical trials, suggests that this should

be raised.

A recent risk assessment by the US-based trade organisation, the

Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) concluded that the UL could be

raised to 10,000 IU (250 micrograms per day).

Vitamin D refers to two biologically inactive precursors - D3, also

known as cholecalciferol, and D2, also known as ergocalciferol. The

former, produced in the skin on exposure to UVB radiation (290 to 320

nm), is said to be more bioactive. The latter is derived from plants

and only enters the body via the diet.

Both D3 and D2 precursors are hydroxylated in the liver and kidneys to

form 25- hydroxyvitamin D, the non-active 'storage' form, and

1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, the biologically active form that is tightly

controlled by the body.