If you’ve been following our vitamin D content, you already know that vitamin D promotes longevity by protecting our DNA and combating oxidative stress throughout the body.* But what happens if you’re deficient in this essential vitamin (as 29% of U.S. adults are)?

According to a new study from GeroScience, vitamin D deficient individuals can literally add years to their lives by simply adding a daily vitamin D supplement to their regimen.* 

The quasi-interventional study analyzed 1,036 older adults (aged 60 to 85) from the BASE-II cohort of the Berlin Aging Study II that were also reexamined 7.4 years later (on average) in the GendAge Study. Researchers used epigenetic clocks to determine participants’ DNA methylation age (more on that in a moment).

Researchers of this study previously found key associations between vitamin D status and biological aging (measured by both the 7-CpG epigenetic clock and telomere length) in a 2020 study of the same cohort.

To see how vitamin D impacts biological aging, participants deficient in vitamin D that chose to begin supplementation following their baseline examination were compared to participants deficient in vitamin D that chose not to supplement.

Most longevity studies measure telomere length (often of leukocytes, aka white blood cells) rather than epigenetic clocks. Telomeres are the “caps” on the ends of each DNA strand believed to be a significant biomarker for biological aging. The theory is that our telomeres get shorter as we age, so preserving their length helps protect DNA and leads to a longer lifespan. 

Epigenetic clocks, on the other hand, take a look at DNA methylation to determine an individual’s biological age. First created in 2011 (as opposed to the more established successful telomere measure, which was first used in the 1990s), epigenetic clocks are still quite new to the science scene. 

DNA methylation is the process in which methyl groups attach to segments of DNA, which tells the body which genes to turn on and which to turn off. This mechanism has a profound effect on epigenetics—i.e., how changes in your lifestyle (e.g., diet and exercise) or environment can physically alter your DNA (and thus, your health trajectory).

Additionally, over 50% of Americans have an MTHFR gene variant that can directly impact their body’s folic acid activation, homocysteine levels, and ultimately methylation. Suboptimal methylation affects not only our DNA and longevity outcomes, but whole-body health and well-being. 

(To learn more about how a high-quality supplement can promote healthy methylation, check out what experts have to say about mbg’s methylation support+.)*

Yes, it’s true that we’re genetically predisposed to certain health situations (like suboptimal methylation) thanks to the DNA our mother and father pass along to us. Thankfully, we're also able to strengthen the integrity and function of our DNA thanks to epigenetics. 

For these reasons, epigenetics (and therefore, DNA methylation) are powerful cellular pathways that are closely associated with longevity outcomes. 

As mentioned before, epigenetic clocks are tools used to calculate an individual’s biological age (aka DNA methylation age, or DNAm age) and its deviation from chronological age. This deviation is called DNAm age acceleration (DNAmAA). 

This particular study used five different epigenetic clocks to determine DNAmAA: the 7-CpG clock, Horvath’s clock, Hannum’s clock, PhenoAge, and GrimAge. 

The GeroScience study found that vitamin D supplementation slowed biological aging and extended health span in vitamin D-deficient individuals.* In other words, addressing your vitamin D gap and need positively impacts health and life span (health span).

Of the vitamin D-deficient study participants, those who took vitamin D supplements showed lower DNAmAA in both the 7-CpG clock (2.6 years lower) and Horvath’s clock (1.3 years lower) when compared to vitamin D-deficient participants that did not supplement.* 

Furthermore, the biological age of vitamin D-deficient individuals that began supplementation did not differ from vitamin D-sufficient people, revealing the true staying power of vitamin D supplements in regards to longevity outcomes.* 

The results of this study confirm that healthy vitamin D status (by way of intentional supplementation) is conducive with longevity and healthy biological aging.* 

But not any vitamin D supplement will do—an effective one is needed. A high-potency vitamin D supplement (i.e., 5,000 IU) with organic D3 plus built-in absorption technology, like mbg’s vitamin D3 potency+, can help you achieve and maintain sufficient vitamin D levels.*

Looking for the right vitamin supplement for you? Check out mbg’s roundup of the best vitamin D supplements on the market.