Vitamin D supplements could mitigate biological aging

Findings from a randomized controlled trial indicate that vitamin D supplementation aids in the preservation of telomeres, the protective caps at the chromosome ends that diminish with aging and are associated with the onset of certain ailments.

The recent study, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, utilizes data from a VITAL (VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL) sub-study co-led by researchers at Harvard-affiliated Mass General Brigham and the Medical College of Georgia, highlighting its potential in decelerating a biological aging pathway.

“VITAL represents the first extensive and long-term randomized trial demonstrating that vitamin D supplements safeguard telomeres and maintain telomere length,” stated co-author JoAnn Manson, the lead investigator of VITAL and head of the Division of Preventive Medicine at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital, as well as the Michael and Lee Bell Professor of Women’s Health at Harvard Medical School.

“This is particularly noteworthy as VITAL had also revealed benefits of vitamin D in reducing inflammation and decreasing risks associated with specific chronic conditions of aging, including advanced cancer and autoimmune disorders,” Manson added.

Telomeres consist of repetitive DNA sequences or base pairs that prevent chromosome ends from degrading or merging with other chromosomes. Telomere shortening is a natural aging process and correlates with an increased susceptibility to various age-associated diseases.

A few brief, small-scale studies have suggested that vitamin D or omega-3 fatty acid supplementation may assist in preserving telomeres, though results have varied. VITAL is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial examining vitamin D₃ (2,000 IU/day) and omega-3 fatty acid (1 g/day) supplements that followed U.S. women aged 55 and older and men aged 50 and above for five years. The VITAL Telomere sub-study included 1,054 of these participants, whose telomere length in white blood cells was evaluated at baseline and again at Year 2 and Year 4. 

When compared to the placebo group, those taking vitamin D₃ supplements substantially decreased telomere shortening over the four years, effectively preventing nearly three years of aging. Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation did not show a notable impact on telomere length during the follow-up period.

“Our results imply that targeted vitamin D supplementation may offer a potentially effective approach to counteracting biological aging, although further investigation is needed,” noted Haidong Zhu, the lead author of the report and a molecular geneticist at the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University.

Authors affiliated with Mass General Brigham include Nancy R. Cook, William Christen, and I-Min Lee. Additional contributors include Haidong Zhu, Bayu B. Bekele, Li Chen, Kevin J. Kane, Ying Huang, Wenju Li, and Yanbin Dong.

This research received support from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.