For some people, it’s the holy grail. Is there a way to slow down aging or rewind your body clock even though many years have passed? Even better if it’s as simple as taking a pill every day.
Vitamin D has long been a popular candidate because it’s important for building muscles and bones, which commonly wear out and weaken as we age. Research shows that a lack of vitamin D increases age-related muscle loss and the risk of falls.
So can taking vitamin D supplements slow down its decline or even reverse it?
Well, just like aging itself, it’s complicated. A new review by Italian researchers examined the evidence to summarize what we know. Take our quiz, starting with what aging looks like on a biological level.
Aging is characterized by a long list of cellular changes, including shortening of telomeres, unstable genes, molecular marks on DNA, and chronic inflammation.
However, Carmelinda Ruggiero, a geriatrics expert at Italy’s University of Perugia, and her colleagues write in a paper that these characteristics are an “incredibly complex and highly interconnected” process, and that general physical fitness He explains that it is not as easy to detect as a decline in motor skills or motor skills. – The first clinical feature that doctors recognize in normal aging.
Clinicians have recommended vitamin D supplements for people with osteoporosis and to prevent bone fractures for decades. This is because vitamin D deficiency is linked to osteoporosis symptoms.
That makes sense, because vitamin D aids absorption of calcium. Although vitamin D contained in certain foodsit may be difficult to get enough just from your diet Or you not getting enough sunlight.
However, more recent clinical trials have found that vitamin D supplements do not necessarily help prevent age-related bone loss and fractures in healthy people.
Similarly, Ruggiero et al. summarized observational studies and clinical trials examining the potential effects of vitamin D on the biological features of aging and found a lack of evidence. [animal] model. ”
Some research suggests that vitamin D may slow epigenetic aging, as people with low levels of vitamin D are biologically older than those with adequate levels. Vitamin D supplementation may also help reduce DNA damage, but does not seem to affect telomere length.
There is also little evidence about what doses and at what ages vitamin D supplements are effective, as there are very few human studies and mixed results.
Although some studies suggest that taking certain doses of vitamin D is safe for the general population, that may not be true for everyone. Research shows that taking large amounts of vitamin D can be harmful. Vitamin D supplements can also interact with prescription drugs such as cholesterol-lowering statins.
And while it may seem logical to supplement with low levels of vitamin D, experts say getting more vitamins in supplement form isn’t necessarily better for your health. ing. This can lead people to ignore other things they can do to improve their health and live longer, such as eating a balanced diet and getting outside.
“Despite the interest in vitamin D supplementation as a strategy to support human longevity and some evidence about vitamin D’s potential to modulate the hallmarks of aging, we have not reached the bench-to-bed tipping point. “We are still a long way off,” Ruggiero and colleagues concluded.
A review has been published nutrients.
