A sub-study, which was a part of the large-scale VITAL trial, decided that vitamin D supplementation slows telomere attrition in leukocytes almost to a halt. This might have real-life scientific implications [1].
The chromosome guardians
Attrition of telomeres, repetitive sequences that cap chromosomes, is likely one of the unique hallmarks of growing older. Our cells’ replication equipment doesn’t copy the previous couple of base pairs at chromosomes’ ends. These telomeres act as “surplus” DNA that doesn’t include helpful data and may be sacrificed. This additionally signifies that with every division, telomeres turn into shorter, which might ultimately set off mobile senescence. Earlier analysis has discovered that telomere attrition in leukocytes, similar to T cells, can predict power illness and mortality [2].
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The attrition of attrition
A brand new examine co-led by researchers at Mass Basic Brigham and the Medical School of Georgia has its roots within the VITAL trial, a big, nationwide, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled examine that examined each day supplementation with vitamin D₃ (2 000 IU) and/or marine omega-3 fatty acids (1 g fish oil) for main prevention of most cancers and heart problems. VITAL lasted for 5 years and enrolled nearly 26,000 US females and males aged a minimum of 50 years.
VITAL already yielded some spectacular outcomes, displaying statistically vital reductions in most cancers mortality, the incidence of autoimmune decease, and circulating C-reactive protein ranges (a marker of irritation) in individuals who took vitamin D.
This new sub-study included barely a couple of thousand VITAL individuals who had had their leukocyte telomere size measured a minimum of twice throughout the examine. At baseline, the imply leukocyte telomere size (LTL) was 8,700 base pairs, and the imply LTL loss within the placebo group was 160 base pairs over 4 years.
Vitamin D abrogated LTL loss nearly fully, bringing it down to only about 20 base pairs over 4 years on common. Omega-3 supplementation didn’t considerably have an effect on any consequence. Whereas spectacular, these outcomes had been simply barely statistically vital due to the general gradual LTL loss and the restrictions of present strategies of measuring telomere size. No scientific outcomes had been measured.
The affiliation remained strong even after accounting for key demographic, behavioral, and cardiometabolic therapy variables. These included age, intercourse, race, body-mass index (BMI), smoking standing, hypertension medicine use, diabetes, and excessive ldl cholesterol.
“VITAL is the primary large-scale and long-term randomized trial to indicate that vitamin D dietary supplements shield telomeres and protect telomere size,” mentioned co-author JoAnn Manson, MD, principal investigator of VITAL and chief of the Division of Preventive Medication at Brigham and Girls’s Hospital. “That is of specific curiosity as a result of VITAL had additionally proven the advantages of vitamin D in decreasing irritation and decreasing dangers of chosen power illnesses of growing older, similar to superior most cancers and autoimmune illness.”
It’s the shortest telomere that counts
These outcomes require some unpacking. Whereas the typical annual LTL lack of 40 base pairs appears minuscule in comparison with a baseline LTL of 8,700, it’d nonetheless be clinically vital due to the best way mobile senescence works.
It’s the only most-eroded telomere in a cell that triggers the DNA injury response and pushes the cell into senescence. As soon as that “sentinel” telomere falls under a vital size, the cell stops dividing, no matter how lengthy all of the others are [3]. A small shift within the imply LTL of about 40 base pairs per 12 months is perhaps an indication of a gentle improve within the fraction of critically brief telomeres throughout the cell inhabitants, rising the likelihood that any given cell will cross that threshold.
Sooner charges of LTL attrition in adults predict greater dangers of adversarial occasions even after adjusting for way of life and irritation markers. These epidemiological associations point out that even small variations in attrition fee carry real-world well being implications.
“Our findings counsel that focused vitamin D supplementation could also be a promising technique to counter a organic growing older course of, though additional analysis is warranted,” mentioned Haidong Zhu, Ph.D., first writer of the report and a molecular geneticist on the Medical School of Georgia, Augusta College.
Literature
[1] Zhu, H., et al. (2025). Vitamin D₃ and marine omega-3 fatty acids supplementation and leukocyte telomere size: 4-year findings from the VITAL randomized managed trial. The American Journal of Scientific Diet, 0(0), 000–000.
[2] Epel, E. S., Merkin, S. S., Cawthon, R., Blackburn, E. H., Adler, N. E., Pletcher, M. J., & Seeman, T. E. (2008). The speed of leukocyte telomere shortening predicts mortality from heart problems in aged males. Growing older (Albany NY), 1(1), 81.
[3] Berardi, P., Martinez-Fernandez, V., Rat, A., Rosas Bringas, F. R., Jolivet, P., Langston, R., … & Teixeira, M. T. (2025). The shortest telomere in telomerase-negative cells triggers replicative senescence at a vital threshold size and in addition fuels genomic instability. bioRxiv, 2025-01.
