Vitamin D status has been associated with longer telomeres. In one compelling twin study, sisters with higher levels of vitamin D had longer telomeres, correlating with 5 years of reduced cellular aging, even though both sisters were obviously the same chronological age. (R)
Vitamin D is created in our bodies via our skins exposure to the UVB rays of the sun, but despite how easy this seems, the majority of the population is vitamin D deficient. The exposure you need to achieve healthy levels varies from person to person. People with darker skin tones, those who are overweight, live in northern latitudes, and older people are at the highest risk for deficiency.
If you can’t seem to work adequate sun exposure into your routine, fear not—vitamin D3 supplement users were also found to have longer telomeres than nonusers in the same study mentioned above. (R)
3. Improve your cardiorespiratory fitness
Exercise not only helps you maintain a healthy weight, it also keeps your cells young. In one 2009 study by German scientists, the length of middle-aged runners’ telomeres were compared to sedentary, age-matched controls. The runners’ telomeres were, on average, about 75% longer. (R) They were actually close, lengthwise, to those of runners in their 20s, reduced by only about 10%! The researchers noted that exercise was associated with a marked increase in telomerase activity: It was 2.5 times more active in young athletes, and 1.8 times more active in middle-aged athletes.
