The Vitamin That Could Add Years to your Life

If there were an Olympics for anti-aging nutrients, vitamin D would have a good shot at the gold medal.
Here's why: Scientists recently examined how blood levels of vitamin D affect aging on a cellular level. High intake was associated with as much as 5 fewer years of chromosome aging!

New Wonder Vitamin
D seems to be particularly relevant to a cellular yardstick of aging called a telomere. These "end caps" on your chromosomes get shorter and shorter with age, but having high blood levels of vitamin D seems to help ensure longer telomeres. That's a good thing, because when telomeres get really short and disappear, cells stop dividing and start to die. Translation: You age and become more vulnerable to disease.

More D Delights
For years, D - a vitamin found in food but also synthesized by your skin with a bit of sun exposure - has been a nutritionist's delight because of its impact on bone health. Now, evidence is growing that the vitamin not only helps build bone and thwart aging but also defends against multiple sclerosis, several cancers, and inflammation in the gums and . . . (whew) . . . lungs.D is definitely moving into bona fide supernutrient territory.