Higher serum vitamin D concentrations are associated with longer leukocyte telomere length in women

Abstract

Background: Vitamin D is a potent inhibitor of the proinflammatory response and thereby diminishes turnover of leukocytes. Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is a predictor of aging-related disease and decreases with each cell cycle and increased inflammation.

Objective: The objective of the study was to examine whether vitamin D concentrations would attenuate the rate of telomere attrition in leukocytes, such that higher vitamin D concentrations would be associated with longer LTL.

Design: Serum vitamin D concentrations were measured in 2160 women aged 18-79 y (mean age: 49.4) from a large population-based cohort of twins. LTL was measured by using the Southern blot method.

Results: Age was negatively correlated with LTL (r = -0.40, P < 0.0001). Serum vitamin D concentrations were positively associated with LTL (r = 0.07, P = 0.0010), and this relation persisted after adjustment for age (r = 0.09, P < 0.0001) and other covariates (age, season of vitamin D measurement, menopausal status, use of hormone replacement therapy, and physical activity; P for trend across tertiles = 0.003). The difference in LTL between the highest and lowest tertiles of vitamin D was 107 base pairs (P = 0.0009), which is equivalent to 5.0 y of telomeric aging. This difference was further accentuated by increased concentrations of C-reactive protein, which is a measure of systemic inflammation.

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that higher vitamin D concentrations, which are easily modifiable through nutritional supplementation, are associated with longer LTL, which underscores the potentially beneficial effects of this hormone on aging and age-related diseases.

FIGURE 1

Relations between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OH-vitamin D) concentrations and leukocyte telomere length (n = 2160, Pearson’s correlation coefficient = 0.07, P = 0.0010) and between 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations and age-adjusted leukocyte telomere length (n = 2160, Pearson’s correlation coefficient = 0.09, P < 0.0001)

FIGURE 2

Multiply adjusted associations between tertiles of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OH-vitamin D) and leukocyte telomere length were stratified by serum C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations (n = 2160) and adjusted for age, season of vitamin D measurement, menopausal status, use of hormone replacement therapy, and physical activity. High and low CRP concentrations were delineated by a CRP value of 2.0 mg/L. Error bars indicate SE. P value was derived from the nonparametric trend test across all 6 means. There was no significant interaction between CRP and vitamin D.