Back in 2009, the secret to living forever—okay, not forever, but longer—lay in telomere preservation. Telomeres are the endcaps of DNA strands in our chromosomes—think plastic tips on shoelaces. The telomeres get shorter with each cell replication, and when the telomeres get too short, the cell dies.

So you could say that the fountain of youth—or at least a trickling tributary—can be found in the vitamins that preserve telomeres and therefore lengthen cell life. Chief among these is vitamin D. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that higher levels (about 50 ng/ml of vitamin D) were associated with as many as five additional years of life thanks to telomere preservation.

A new study published in the online advance edition of the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition confirms that vitamin D is even more important to longevity and disease avoidance than we may have thought. The researchers found that doubling serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels—to, again, about 50 ng/ml—would reduce the global vitamin D–sensitive disease mortality rate by an estimated 20 percent.

Vitamin D–sensitive diseases account for more than half of the global mortality rate and include cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory infections, respiratory diseases, tuberculosis and diabetes mellitus. The estimated increase in life expectancy, simply by doubling serum vitamin D, is two years. Globally.

Article courtesy of NewHope360.com, posted 10/6/11, and found here.

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Blogger's note: It's our understanding the figures indicated above are for the amount of vitamin D in your body, as determined by a blood test. Wondering how much vitamin D to take? Your best bet is to check with your health care provider. Here's what the Vitamin D Council suggests...

Vitamin D Council recommended amounts

Based on the body's indicated daily vitamin D usage, Vitamin D Council recommends the following amounts of supplemental vitamin D3 per day in the absence of proper sun exposure. Due to the variable response discussed above, these are only estimated amounts.

• Healthy children under the age of 1 years – 1,000 IU
• Healthy children over the age of 1 years – 1,000 IU per every 25 lbs of body weight
• Healthy adults and adolescents – at least 5,000 IU
• Pregnant and lactating mothers - at least 6,000 IU

Click here to read the full article on Vitamin D Council's site about How To Get Your Vitamin D.

The Vitamin D Council

is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) educational corporation in the State of California, founded in 2003 by Executive Director John J. Cannell, M.D., on the conviction that humans all over the world are needlessly suffering from vitamin D deficiency, and found here.