Less vitamin D – longer life?
Longevity is associated with low levels of vitamin D in the body – scientists
The researchers studied data from 380 European families with at least two long-lived relatives aged about 90 years (89 years and older for men and 91 years and older for women). The study included siblings, their children, as well as partners of the latter. A total of 1,038 thousand descendants were studied, and 461 people were included in the control group. Partners of long-lived children participated in the experiment because they had a similar age and were influenced by the same environmental conditions that could potentially change the level of vitamin D in the body.
The researchers measured 25 vitamin D levels and categorized them according to different months of the year when they change seasonally. The study participants' visits to the solarium were divided into categories: never, once a year and six times a year. Scientists also took into account age, gender, body mass index, time of year, vitamin intake and kidney function, in other words, all factors that could affect the level of vitamin D in the body. In addition, the influence of genetic variations in three genes responsible for vitamin D levels was considered.
"We found that the descendants of centenarians who had at least one 90-year–old brother or sister had low levels of vitamin D compared to the control group, regardless of possible side factors and single-nucleotide polymorphism associated with the levels of this vitamin," the words of the authors under the guidance of the doctor are quoted in a press release of the Canadian Medical Association Diana van Heemst from the Department of Gerontology and Geriatrics at Leiden University Medical Center.
According to her, the descendants of centenarians also had less common variation in the CYP2R1 gene, which is associated with the predisposition of the body to accumulate large amounts of vitamin D.
Meanwhile, earlier studies suggested that low vitamin D levels are associated with high rates of mortality, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, allergies, and intellectual disorders. However, the authors of the current study emphasize that this means a direct causal relationship and are confident that additional research is needed to fully understand the relationship between longevity and low vitamin D levels.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru06.11.2012