Multivitamin Use Linked to Younger Biological Age - by Nancy Hirsch, Certified Nutritionist for VisiVite.com
According to results published in the June, 2009 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, taking a daily multivitamin may help women live longer by preventing parts of their DNA from shortening.
The aging and lifespan of normal, healthy cells are linked to the shortening of telomeres, which are the end portion of chromosomes. These telomeres protect the ends of chromosomes and buffer them against the loss of important genes during cell replication. Shortening of telomeres is related to the cellular dying of the organism, and longer length is understood to be the key to health and longevity. In other words, longer telomeres are better than shorter ones. Telomeres shorten slightly when cells divide, and researchers speculate that preventing this shortening could protect new cells and therefore reduce the effects of aging.
Dr. Honglei Chen at the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences analyzed multivitamin use and nutrient intakes, as well as telomere length of 586 women between the ages of 35 and 74. As part of the study, a 146-item food-frequency questionnaire was used to determine multivitamin use and nutrient intakes. The researchers noted that the telomeres were, on average, over 5 percent longer for daily multivitamin users, than they were for non-multivitamin users. This was the first time an epidemiological study of multivitamin use and telomere length was ever done. Dr. Chen and his co-workers noted that "telomere length may be a marker of biological aging, and that multivitamins may beneficially affect telomere length via modulation of oxidative stress and chronic inflammation."
In humans it has been shown that telomere length can be improved through lifestyle changes such as exercise, proper diet and stress reduction. There is enough medical research indicating that the average American diet is deficient in vitamins, minerals and other nutrients and that 10 to 15 percent of Americans do not get the minimum amounts of these vitamins and minerals.
Several years ago, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a study detailing the status of nutrition in America. It stated that most people do not consume an optimal amount of vitamins through diet alone, and it was strongly recommended that everybody take vitamin supplements. Most of the food we consume contains barely half of the vitamins and minerals it did fifty years ago. In light of this recent research, there is increasing evidence that a good multivitamin may have a significant effect on health and longevity.
The aging and lifespan of normal, healthy cells are linked to the shortening of telomeres, which are the end portion of chromosomes. These telomeres protect the ends of chromosomes and buffer them against the loss of important genes during cell replication. Shortening of telomeres is related to the cellular dying of the organism, and longer length is understood to be the key to health and longevity. In other words, longer telomeres are better than shorter ones. Telomeres shorten slightly when cells divide, and researchers speculate that preventing this shortening could protect new cells and therefore reduce the effects of aging.
Dr. Honglei Chen at the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences analyzed multivitamin use and nutrient intakes, as well as telomere length of 586 women between the ages of 35 and 74. As part of the study, a 146-item food-frequency questionnaire was used to determine multivitamin use and nutrient intakes. The researchers noted that the telomeres were, on average, over 5 percent longer for daily multivitamin users, than they were for non-multivitamin users. This was the first time an epidemiological study of multivitamin use and telomere length was ever done. Dr. Chen and his co-workers noted that "telomere length may be a marker of biological aging, and that multivitamins may beneficially affect telomere length via modulation of oxidative stress and chronic inflammation."
In humans it has been shown that telomere length can be improved through lifestyle changes such as exercise, proper diet and stress reduction. There is enough medical research indicating that the average American diet is deficient in vitamins, minerals and other nutrients and that 10 to 15 percent of Americans do not get the minimum amounts of these vitamins and minerals.
Several years ago, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a study detailing the status of nutrition in America. It stated that most people do not consume an optimal amount of vitamins through diet alone, and it was strongly recommended that everybody take vitamin supplements. Most of the food we consume contains barely half of the vitamins and minerals it did fifty years ago. In light of this recent research, there is increasing evidence that a good multivitamin may have a significant effect on health and longevity.
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