The Main Ways Vitamin D Promotes Longevity & Graceful Aging

Optimizing your health can feel complicated, but there are a few key pillars that remain uncontested: Think eating enough vegetables, prioritizing protein, and engaging in regular movement. On the more technical side, maintaining vitamin D sufficiency is critical for whole-body health. As more and more research comes out about vitamin D, its known benefits only multiply.

Longevity is a hot topic these days, and if we're talking about living a long, healthy, happy life, we simply can't ignore genomic health and stability. You know, our genes and the stuff they're made of: DNA.

Vitamin D sufficiency (i.e., achieving and maintaining healthy D levels in the body) promotes graceful aging by helping to regulate antioxidant activity, balance mitochondrial function, combat oxidative stress, and ultimately, protect that precious DNA.

A 2019 Pharmacological Research meta-analysis found that vitamin D supplementation helps increase total antioxidant capacity1 and serum levels of master antioxidant glutathione, both of which are vastly beneficial for promoting oxidative balance (i.e., antioxidants beating out oxidants) throughout the body.* Vitamin D signaling pathways protect proteins, fatty acids, and DNA2 (more on that later) from oxidation by combating reactive oxygen species (ROS).* 

While antioxidant activity is an ever-vital (and valid) feature of healthy aging, promoting cellular integrity and protecting our genes is the other significant part of the longevity equation. One accurate way to look at the rate of cellular aging and overall longevity is by measuring telomeres.

Telomeres are sequences of proteins that essentially "cap" the ends of DNA strands. They protect our DNA from free radicals, modern toxins, and other potential stressors that can affect our genomic stability. When it comes to longevity, longer telomeres help protect DNA and buffer oxidative stress. 

In other words, telomere length (again, longer is better) is a viable biomarker for longevity—and vitamin D plays a part in increasing the activity of the telomerase enzyme4 to maintain telomere length and strength and protect cellular DNA and cells' ability to replicate.

With the vast health benefits bolstered by a healthy vitamin D status, it's exceedingly clear that achieving vitamin D sufficiency (and keeping it there!) is important for whole-body health throughout the life span. The problem? It's just not possible to get enough quality vitamin D from diet and sunshine alone. Enter: vitamin D supplementation.

mbg's vitamin D3 potency+ provides 5,000 IU of organic vitamin D3 derived from sustainable, vegan algal oil, plus a trio of organic oils (avocado, flax, and olive, to be exact) to optimize bioavailability and absorption.* (All in one gelcap, mind you.)