Scientists Shed New Light on the Anti-Aging Effect of Vitamin D

Adult stem cells play a crucial role in keeping tissue balance, with their diminished functionality tied to aging and related illnesses, affected by the surrounding cells’ environment. Clinical studies in humans have consistently shown a decrease in vitamin D and its receptor levels due to aging and cancer. Despite this, the ways in which the vitamin D/vitamin D receptor (VitD/VDR) pathway aids in anti-aging and life span extension remain unclear.

In a new study, researchers Joung-Sun Park, Hyun-Jin Na, and Yung-Jin Kim from Pusan National University and Korea Food Research Institute aimed to determine the protective role of the vitamin D/vitamin D receptor pathway in differentiated enterocytes (ECs) during intestinal stem cell (ISC) aging.