Slow aging and avoid cancer with a single vitamin

When your mother told you as a kid to go play outdoors, she probably wanted you out of the house to get some physical exercise. Turns out she might have been improving your health in another important way…

It turns out that the sun could be one of your best defenses against cancer.

Research suggests that high levels of vitamin D may provide significant protection against several kinds of cancer. And not just vitamin D as a supplement. Not even the vitamin D you get from drinking milk or fortified juices…

No, the best source of vitamin D is the sun because it triggers your body itself to produce the necessary nutrient. Just a few minutes a day of exposure to sunlight will yield multiple benefits.

How does that work?

Vitamin D inhibits pro-inflammatory responses which, in turn, diminishes leukocyte telomere length (LTL), which is a predictor of age-related disease.

Before going any farther, let’s back up a bit and explain what that means and how vitamin D actually works to help prevent cancers, especially of the digestive system, mouth, throat, stomach and colon.

Understanding telomeres

The nucleus of each cell contains chromosomes with your individual genetic information. As we grow — and age — our bodies must duplicate these cells to make sure genetic information is successfully passed on to the next generation. At the end of each chromosome is a special protective cap called a telomere.

Telomeres prevent chromosomes from losing sequences of genes at their ends and from fusing together. Still, each time a cell divides some of the leukocyte telomere is lost. When the telomere becomes too short, the chromosome can no longer replicate, and this “old” cell dies. As cells age, so does the entire body. It’s a constant, ongoing process.

Researchers know that telomeres are controlled by the enzyme telomerase. Telomerase is an enzyme made of protein and RNA units that elongate chromosomes. Now you might think that keeping cells long and “alive” would be a good thing if it could stop or slow the aging process.

But here’s the rub: The telomerase in human cancer cells has been found to be 10-20 times more active than in normal body cells. The result is that cancer cells (and the tumors they inhabit) keep growing. The cells never become short enough — or old enough — to die.

In normal cells, telomeres shorten every time a cell divides. The older you are, the more times each cell in your body has divided and the shorter your telomeres. But cancer cells keep dividing rapidly and uncontrollably, somehow unaffected by the typical process. If scientists could discover a way to halt the growth of those cells, they might be able to stop cancer from developing in the first place — or at least slow the growth of renegade cells.

What research aims to discover

If telomerase activity could be turned off, then telomeres in cancer cells would shorten and “die” just as they do in normal cells. This would prevent cancer cells from dividing — a situation that sometimes happens even before a person is aware of any problem and possibly long before a diagnosis of cancer.

One factor that scientists don’t understand fully is that the accelerated aging process appears to stop three to four years before a cancer diagnosis. While this could become a predictive factor as researchers learn more, so far it has led to confusing and inconsistent results from some studies.

Once scientists understand this pattern of telomere growth, it might become a biomarker for cancer. Researchers at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, including study author Dr. Lifang Hou, believe that the strong relationship they have seen across a wide variety of cancers could lead to a testing procedure that enables earlier diagnosis and treatment of this disease.

Ongoing studies are examining telomeres and telomerase to understand the connection between telomere length and telomerase activity. Knowing how to control the process by which telomeres become too short to function could enable researchers to discover ways to combat aging, fight cancer and improve a variety of other medical treatments.

The role of vitamin D

Now, here’s reason to cheer — it appears that vitamin D plays a key role in telomere longevity. Here’s why: Shorter telomeres (which are a sign of many divisions and subsequent aging) can trigger inflammation which many scientists believe is an underlying factor in the development of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and other age-related health issues.

The fact is that every function in the human body is affected by the length of telomeres because that is related to the age of your cells. Not chronological age but the condition of your cells, which affects health as the decades roll on.

Fortunately, vitamin D can help preserve the length of telomeres. A study conducted on 2,000 women and reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition claims that the more vitamin D participants had, the longer their telomeres were. This was true whether vitamin D came from the sun, dietary sources or supplements.

Study participants with high vitamin D levels reported 43 percent fewer digestive tract cancers, 29 percent fewer cancer deaths and 17 percent fewer cancers overall.

The good news is that vitamin D is readily available from many sources, the sun being the best one. Of course, you don’t want to stay out in bright sunlight for hours or risk an uncomfortable sunburn. But that’s not necessary. Take a short walk early in the morning or late afternoon, or try your hand at light gardening for 10 to 20 minutes each day. Absorption of sunlight through your skin will help your body manufacture the vitamin D it needs to stay healthy.

Getting the right amount of D

How much vitamin D do you need? The same study reported that 1,500 IU each day provided the desired benefits. And that’s about the amount you’ll get from your morning walk. However, don’t forget to apply sunscreen at least 15 minutes before going outdoors since it takes that length of time to start working.

There’s really no reason a person in the United States should become deficient in vitamin D. Currently the recommended daily dose is fairly low at just 400 to 600 IU, although many public health experts would like to see that amount raised to at least 1,000 IU. The Vitamin D Council whole-heartedly endorsed a therapeutic dose of 5,000 IU daily.

In addition to using the free power of the sun to get the recommended allotment, you can consume foods high in vitamin D, another natural way to boost your intake. Wild salmon has the highest amount of vitamin D of any food. Pacific rockfish, mackerel, herring, tuna and sardines are other good sources since higher omega-3 levels found in fatty fish can help prevent accelerated telomere shortening. Grass-fed beef and dairy products will add more vitamin D to your diet. Mushrooms are a good source of vitamin D and you can even boost their content.

What else helps?

Multivitamin supplements typically contain 100 percent of recommended daily intake of most key vitamins and minerals and are major sources of micronutrients in the U.S. diet. A study from St. Thomas’ Hospital, King’s College in London School of Medicine determined that multivitamin use was associated with longer telomeres.

Telomere length for women who used multivitamins daily was 5 percent longer than for those who did not take a multivitamin. Even more, the multivitamin users had almost 10 additional years worth of telomere length than nonusers. (Telomere length indicated a possible extra 10 years of longevity). It’s important to note that these study results apply primarily to women since more women seem to take multivitamins, and women were the active participants in the study. However, it’s reasonable to assume that the benefits could apply to adults regardless of gender.

Additionally, higher intakes of vitamins C and E, important antioxidants we get from food, were associated with longer telomere length. These vitamins inhibit chronic inflammation, which is related to various degenerative effects. Lifestyle choices like smoking, consuming a diet high in carbohydrates and processed foods and engaging in stressful activities can also instigate inflammation and thus shorten telomeres. Anything that reduces stress such as meditation, yoga, Tai Chi and peaceful walks can help preserve telomeres and promote longevity.

Two points to remember: First, longer telomeres translates to slower aging and a disease-resistant life. To promote this, reduce stress, eat a wholesome diet and stop smoking. Second, when scientists understand the process by which telomere length regulates telomerase activity, they may have a way to predict or prevent cancer and other age-related diseases — or at least control the wayward processes to help people live longer healthier lives. Until then protect yours and they’ll protect you.

Sources:

1. Leukocyte telomere length: the telomere tale continues — The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
2. Telomerase Regulation — The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
3. Telomere Changes Predict Cancer — Northwestern University
4. Multivitamin use and telomere length in women — The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition