How Vitamin D Can Benefit Health and Slow the Aging Process

by Donna Wright:

Could vitamin D help add years to your life? The answer is yes when you consider that vitamin D protects against cellular aging and many age-related diseases. 

This important vitamin plays a key role in keeping bones strong and your immune system healthy, key factors in aging.  

What is Vitamin D? 

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin known to help the body absorb and retain calcium and phosphorus, both critical for building bone. Vitamin D also supports the immune system, so it aids in fighting infections. 

There are three ways to get adequate vitamin D:  

1. Sun exposure
2. Food 
3. Supplements  

There are two types of vitamin D: Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). Vitamin D2 is made from plants and is found in fortified foods and supplements. Vitamin D3 is the preferred form as it is naturally produced in the body and found in most foods that naturally contain the vitamin. 

Why is Vitamin D So Important? 

Vitamin D is essential for good health. It not only helps your body absorb the calcium you need for strong bones, but it also helps immune function, cardiovascular function, nervous system processes, inflammation, skin health, and cognitive/mental health. But here’s something you may not know … Vitamin D may help to reduce cancer cell growth.  

Additionally, Vitamin D affects other important vitamins and minerals that contribute to health, including magnesium, Vitamin K, and phosphorus. Vitamin D is partially responsible for maintaining phosphorus levels in the blood, and since it affects calcium’s ability to bind to proteins, it’s believed that it’s also linked to Vitamin K. Phosphorus, in addition to calcium and other compounds, is needed to properly mineralize bone density. 

Vitamin D May Also Help to Slow Aging and Improve Longevity 

While there are many benefits of taking Vitamin D, a daily dose may actually delay the aging process by protecting the DNA stored in your chromosomes. You see, Vitamin D may help telomeres stay intact. Telomeres are the protective caps at the ends of your chromosomes. Vitamin D can help preserve telomeres that shorten during aging and are linked to the development of certain diseases. When each cell divides or replicates, the telomeres shorten a bit, a typical part of aging. Vitamin D3 can help maintain the length of your telomeres … helping to protect you from age-related chronic diseases, such as heart disease and certain kinds of cancers. 

Health Benefits of Vitamin D 

Vitamin D is essential to the function of all organs in our body. In fact, there are vitamin D receptors in your blood vessels, brain, tissues, and immune system. So, it makes perfect sense to say that Vitamin D is essential for bone health, immune function and overall well-being.  

Keep in mind, low levels of Vitamin D can negatively affect everything from immune health to cognitive function and cellular aging. So, it’s important to monitor your Vitamin D levels to optimize your health and longevity. 

Let’s take a closer look at the specific health and longevity benefits of Vitamin D . 

Vitamin D Supports Bone Health 

Vitamin D plays an important role in processing calcium, which is an essential mineral in maintaining healthy bones. You see, Vitamin D helps calcium get into your bones. Vitamin D can naturally slow the aging of the skeletal structure, reducing the fracture rates.  

When there is a vitamin D deficiency, the body cannot effectively metabolize calcium, which can result in bone disease. An untreated vitamin D deficiency can lead to a condition called hypocalcemia, a lack of calcium in the blood. This can cause issues like osteomalacia in adults and rickets in children (soft bones), and osteoporosis (brittle bones). 

Vitamin D Supports a Healthy Immune System 

Vitamin D also plays an important role in helping regulate the immune system so the body can fight illness. Vitamin D is associated with healthy cell replication so having an efficient level of Vitamin D prevents infections, especially those affect the respiratory system. The body’s immune cells contain receptors for Vitamin D. And Vitamin D benefits overall immune function such as preventing prolonged or excessive inflammatory responses. 

Symptoms of low vitamin D levels can be frequent infections, autoimmune diseases, colds, flu, and viral illnesses. With autoimmunity, the immune system is overactive and the body attacks itself. Low levels of Vitamin D may also be associated with conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and lupus.  

Vitamin D Benefits Heart Disease and Inflammation 

Maintaining adequate Vitamin D levels is beneficial to cardiovascular wellness. Vitamin D is directly associated with heart health including the regulation of blood pressure, inflammation, and supporting heart muscle function. Vitamin D helps regulate blood pressure and fluid balance, helping to prevent hypertension, a major risk factor for heart disease. Its anti-inflammatory properties help reduce chronic inflammation linked to atherosclerosis and heart attacks.   

Low vitamin D levels may increase the risk of heart failure, coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation, and stroke. Vitamin D protects the body from chronic inflammation and cellular damage over time, also aiding against neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. 

Vitamin D May Help Protect Against Cancer 

Vitamin D may affect the risk of some cancers due to its intervention in the cell lifecycle. In fact, Vitamin D deficiency symptoms have been correlated with increased risks for cancer development, especially breast, colon, colorectal, bladder, and prostate cancers. Scientifically speaking, cancer is caused by mutations that allow cells to grow and spread uncontrollably. Vitamin D can help limit the ability of cancer cells to reproduce, grow, and spread.  

Further explained, Vitamin D helps prevent the abnormal, excessive growth of cancer cells. You see, cancer cells can evade apoptosis (process by which cells shut down and die, eliminating the body of aged/damaged cells) and propagate out of control. Vitamin D reverses this, promoting beneficial apoptosis, by blocking angiogenesis, the formation of blood vessels that deliver nutrients to cancers. Vitamin D interferes with the ability of cancer cells to invade and metastasize. 

Vitamin D Supports Skin Health 

Vitamin D3, the active form of vitamin D produced in the skin with the help of UV rays, plays a crucial role in keeping your skin strong, resilient, and healthy. Vitamin D3 works at the cellular level to repair skin damage, regulate the immune system, and prevent premature aging. While too much sun exposure can lead to premature aging and damage, getting the right amount is essential for making Vitamin D. When your skin has enough Vitamin D, it’s better equipped to protect itself from inflammation, dryness, and environmental stressors. 

Vitamin D Boosts Oral Health 

Vitamin D is also a secret weapon for keeping your teeth and gums healthy as it plays a key role in promoting dental health. That makes sense since Vitamin D is crucial for building healthy bones and calcium is the raw material that, along with phosphorus, creates the bony structure that makes up tooth enamel. Also Vitamin D lessens the risk of bleeding gums, helps prevent tooth decay, and regulates the microbial environment that supports good bacteria and eliminates bad bacteria. 

Vitamin D and Cognitive Function 

Vitamin D also affects cognitive function in part by reducing oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is associated with aging and longevity. Oxidative stress affects decision making, memorization, and focus. Adequate levels of Vitamin D is crucial for brain health, memory and cognitive function, and neuroprotection. Deficiency has been linked to dementia, Alzheimer’s, and faster cognitive decline. 

Vitamin D Helps Manage Blood Sugar Levels 

Vitamin D is associated with how your body handles insulin, the vital hormone that helps glucose get into your cells. Adequate Vitamin D levels can make your cells more sensitive to insulin, allowing glucose to be used efficiently. If vitamin D levels are low, it could contribute to higher blood sugar levels thereby instigating a greater risk of Type 2 diabetes. 

Recommended Daily Amounts of Vitamin D 

Here is the USDA’s official recommendation to obtain vitamin D benefits: 

:: Children up to 12 months: 400 IU  

:: Children and adults ages 1 to 70: 600 IU 

:: Adults over 70: 800 IU 

Regular testing and consultation with a healthcare provider are recommended to ensure adequate levels. 

What are the Best Food Sources of Vitamin D? 

You can get the recommended dietary allowance by eating these foods that are high in vitamin D: 

:: Beef liver 

:: Carp fish 

:: Caviar 

:: Cod liver oil 

:: Eel 

:: Egg yolks 

:: Fortified foods (cereals) 

:: Fortified milk, milk alternatives, and dairy products 

:: Halibut 

:: Herring 

:: Mackerel 

:: Mushrooms 

:: Orange juice 

:: Sardines 

:: Swordfish 

:: Trout 

:: Tuna 

:: Wild-caught salmon 

:: Whitefish 

Vitamin D From Sun Exposure 

The body naturally produces vitamin D when you’re in the sun. To maintain or raise vitamin D levels in your body, you need to expose your skin to sunlight for 10 to 30 minutes, twice a week. Sun exposure to the face, arms, hands, and legs without sunscreen usually leads to sufficient vitamin D synthesis through the skin. 

When to Consider Taking a Vitamin D Supplement 

If you can’t get enough Vitamin D from sun exposure and diet, your healthcare provider may recommend that you start taking it in supplement form. Also, if you’re over the age of 70 or have darker skin, you may consider taking a Vitamin D supplement. The same holds true for people that frequently use sunscreen, as sunscreen reduces the body’s ability to produce Vitamin D. Your physician may recommend Vitamin D supplements if you have underlying health issues such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, or hypertension. 

Symptoms of a Vitamin D Deficiency 

Severe deficiency in Vitamin D levels is a serious health concern that should be promptly addressed.  

Some symptoms of vitamin D deficiency: 

:: Autoimmune diseases 

:: Arthritis 

:: Asthma 

:: Depression 

:: Fatigue 

:: Insomnia 

:: Mood changes 

:: Muscle weakness 

:: Osteoporosis, weak bones, rickets, or bone fractures 

Maintain Your Vitamin D Levels to Benefit Health and Slow Aging 

Keeping Vitamin D levels within optimal ranges is crucial to slowing down some of the internal processes that contribute to aging. Plus, maintain optimal Vitamin D levels from food, sunlight, or supplements to help your body enjoy a healthier, longer life.