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A healthy dose of sunshine may be the secret to staying young, British scientists have revealed.
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A healthy dose of sunshine may be the secret to staying young, British scientists have revealed.
Vitamin D is produced naturally by the skin in response to sunlight and may help to slow the ageing process and protect against heart disease, according to the study.
Researchers from King's College London studied 2,160 women aged between 18 and 79, looking at their telomeres - a biological marker of ageing found in DNA. As people get older their telomeres get shorter and they become more susceptible to certain illnesses.
But the study found women with high levels of vitamin D had comparatively longer telomeres - a sign of being biologically younger and healthier.
The study suggests vitamin D may help to slow down the ageing process of DNA, and therefore the ageing process as a whole.
Lead researcher Dr Brent Richards said: "These results are exciting because they demonstrate for the first time that people who have higher levels of vitamin D may age more slowly than people with lower levels of vitamin D.
"This could help to explain how vitamin D has a protective effect on many ageing related diseases, such as heart disease and cancer."
He said further studies are required to confirm the findings.
Professor Tim Spector, head of KCL's twin research unit, and a co-author of the report, added: "Although it might sound absurd, it's possible that the same sunshine which may increase our risk of skin cancer may also have a healthy effect on the general ageing process."
Vitamin D made by the action of sunlight on the skin accounts for 90 per cent of the body's supply, but lower levels can also be obtained through food such as fish, eggs and breakfast cereals.
Other studies have suggested the vitamin plays a key role in protecting against cancer and heart disease.
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(Agencies)
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英國科學家日前公布，長期堅持曬太陽可能是永葆青春的秘訣。
該研究稱，皮膚受到陽光照射后而自然產生的維他命D有助于延緩衰老，預防心臟疾病。
由倫敦國王學院開展的該研究共有2160名女性參加，她們的年齡在18歲至79歲之間。研究人員們主要對研究對象的端粒（端粒是位于染色體末端的DNA微粒，與人的衰老有關）進行了探究。研究發現，隨著年齡的增長，人的端粒日趨變短，人體對于某些疾病的抵抗力也不斷下降。
但研究發現，體內維他命D含量較高的女性的端粒相對較長，這是人更加年輕與健康的一種生物學表現。
研究表明，維他命D有助于延緩DNA的衰老，從而延緩整個人體的衰老。
研究負責人布蘭特?理查德茲說：“研究結果令人振奮。研究首次表明，體內維他命D含量較高的人比體內維他命D含量較低的人衰老得慢。”
“這也許可以解釋維他命D是如何預防如心臟病和癌癥等很多與衰老有關的疾病這一問題。”
布蘭特稱，研究結果需要經過進一步研究加以確認。
研究報告撰寫人之一、倫敦國王學院雙胞胎研究小組的蒂姆?斯派克特教授說：“盡管這聽起來可能有些荒謬，但有一點完全有可能：曬太陽在增加患皮膚癌風險的同時，對于延緩整個衰老進程是有一定積極作用的。”
皮膚受到陽光照射后所產生的維他命D占體內總含量的90%，此外，攝入魚類、蛋類及早餐麥片等食物也能為人體提供少量的維他命D。
另有研究表明，維他命對預防癌癥和心臟病具有重要作用。
（英語點津姍姍編輯）
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