Researchers say the secret to anti-aging might be hiding in your backyard

Wrinkles, graying hair, stiff joints, it's all a part of aging and there's always someone claiming they found the next big anti-aging fix

But what if slowing aging was as simple as getting a little sun

New research suggests a vitamin you can get from sunlight or diet might help reduce inflammation and may even protect your DNA

A new study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition says vitamin D may help delay the effects of aging

Researchers found that people who took vitamin D supplements over four years slowed the shortening of their telomeres

Think of telomeres like the plastic tips at the end of your shoelaces, except they protect the ends of your chromosomes

They guard your DNA during cell division, but naturally shorten as you age

When they get too short, cells can't divide and either die off or shut down

Shorter telomeres have been linked to age-related diseases. In this study, women 55 and older and men 50 and older took 2,000 units of vitamin D3 daily

along with one gram of omega-3 fatty acids. After four years the group taking vitamin D3 had less telomere shortening compared to those given a placebo Omega however didn show a clear effect on their own While chronic sun exposure can contribute to the aging process the lead

researcher tells the New York Post that even going out for a 15-minute walk a few times a week

during the day can help the skin synthesize vitamin D. And before you stock up on supplements

the study's co-author tells Fortune that more research is needed. Vitamin D isn't a miracle

cure, diet and lifestyle still matter. Even so, vitamin D is known to reduce inflammation

and chronic inflammation can contribute to diseases like cancer. Didn't they even call the amount of vitamin D they were giving people a high dose at 2,000 IUs

Yeah, that's nothing. Professor Bruce Hollis has studied vitamin D for years. He says American research underestimates

how much we need, pointing out that 2,000 units, the dose used in the study, is actually adequate

when looking at levels seen in people who live in sunny regions or are outdoors often

So while there's no fountain of youth just yet, science suggests a little vitamin D could help

keep yourselves younger for longer. With Straight Arrow News, I'm Kennedy Felton

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