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Big_Bird
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Location: Sometimes here sometimes there...
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 Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 8:53 pm Post subject: Ageing process may be slowed by vitamin D |
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Food for thought (when you're thinking of food):
Ageing process may be slowed by vitamin D, say scientists
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Healthy levels of vitamin D may help to slow the ageing process and protect against age-related diseases, a team of British scientists has found. The claim follows a study of more than 2,000 women which found that those with the lowest vitamin D levels showed the greatest signs of biological ageing.
Scientists at King's College London who conducted the study said large-scale trials were needed to confirm the discovery, but if proved correct the finding could have a dramatic impact on healthcare.
In summer much of the vitamin D we need is created by a reaction in the skin powered by sunlight. In the darker winter months vitamin D comes largely from food such as cod liver oil and mackerel.
The team, led by Brent Richards, an endocrinologist, recorded vitamin D levels in 2,160 women aged 18-79. The scientists then took white blood cells and examined them for genetic signs of ageing.
Among the most reliable measures of a person's age are telomeres, the lengths of genetic material that cap the free ends of DNA in a cell. With age, the telomeres shorten and the DNA becomes more unstable until eventually the cell dies. For the experiment the women were organised into three groups according to their vitamin D levels. The study found that those with the highest vitamin levels had significantly longer telomeres - equivalent to five years of normal ageing - than those showing the lowest vitamin D scores.
Dr Richards, whose study was published yesterday in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, said: "These results are exciting because they 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 explain how vitamin D has a protective effect on many ageing-related diseases, such as heart disease and cancer. What's interesting is that there's a huge body of evidence that shows sunshine ages your skin - but it also increases your vitamin D levels. So, like many times in medicine, we find there's a trade-off."
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To read the full article, click on the link above. |
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yawarakaijin
Joined: 08 Aug 2006
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| Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 9:59 pm Post subject: |
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| Interesting research is pointing to a reduced caloric intake in order to halt the ageing process. I think it goes along the lines of the more calories you consume the more atp your mitochondria produces. If I read it correctly, the synthesis of ATP releases free radicals into the body which damage cell tissue. The more calories your body converts into atp the more free radicals, the more free radicals the more damage to your body's cells. In the article I read, scientists were on the verge of blocking the creation of the harmful byproducts which are produced during the synthesis of ATP. I think their research had resulted in extened life spans for certain animals, sorry I dont recall which. I tried to find the article on line but I couldn't. |
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Big_Bird
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Location: Sometimes here sometimes there...
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| Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 10:07 pm Post subject: |
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| yawarakaijin wrote: |
| Interesting research is pointing to a reduced caloric intake in order to halt the ageing process. I think it goes along the lines of the more calories you consume the more atp your mitochondria produces. If I read it correctly, the synthesis of ATP releases free radicals into the body which damage cell tissue. The more calories your body converts into atp the more free radicals, the more free radicals the more damage to your body's cells. In the article I read, scientists were on the verge of blocking the creation of the harmful byproducts which are produced during the synthesis of ATP. I think their research had resulted in extened life spans for certain animals, sorry I dont recall which. I tried to find the article on line but I couldn't. |
Yes, I'd read about the low calorie intake extending the life of mice more than 10 years ago, and more recently that they thought it was responsible for more longetivy in humans. But your news that scientists may be on the verge of blocking the byproducts you mentioned is rather exciting.
Here is a link for anyone interested in calorie restriction and its effect on longetivity |
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