Dear Living Well Daily Reader,
These are supposed to be the best years of your life.
You know, time to kick back and enjoy yourself a little, right?
So why is everyone constantly telling you how to live your life?
They’ll tell you that if you want to stay healthy and live longer, you need to ditch all your favorite foods… go to bed early… and spend hours sweating away at the gym.
Adding years to your life shouldn’t be that hard — and maybe it doesn’t have to be.
Because researchers have just discovered that the secret to living to 100 and beyond may be as simple as popping a vitamin or taking a 20-minute walk outside.
Scientists from the Buck Institute for Research on Aging have just wrapped up a jaw-dropping study on the life-extending powers of vitamin D, the “sunshine vitamin.”
Worms that were given a daily supply of vitamin D actually lived a whopping 33 percent longer than their creepy-crawly pals who didn’t get the vitamin.
Can you imagine what 33 percent more life could mean for people like you and me?
Now, I know what you’re thinking — it’s hard to get too worked up about a study on worms.
But actually, worms are used all the time in both drug and supplement research. Because of their shorter life spans, we can learn how they react to things much more quickly.
And the idea that vitamin D can add candles to your birthday cake is just common sense. We’ve known for years that it can decrease your chances of Alzheimer’s, diabetes and even cancer.
Our bodies can produce vitamin D naturally from sunlight, so it’s a good idea to spend at least 20 minutes a day outside with your head and arms exposed.
But if you live in a colder climate, it may be tough to get enough sunlight this time of year. The good news is that you can pick up vitamin D supplements affordably just about anywhere.
Live well,
Natalie Moore
Managing editor, Living Well Daily
Ed. Note: Please send your feedback: nmoore@lfb.org – and click here to like us on Facebook.
Sources
[1] Buck Institute study finds vitamin D may help extend life span
