Magdalena Estefó Aroztegui
Clínica Dávila, Santiago, Chile.
Valeria Andrea Zúñiga
Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Mexico City, Mexico
Bárbara C. González
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, PPCR Program, ECPE, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Delza Canto del Villa
Instituto Dermatológico Dominicano y Cirugía de Piel “Dr. Huberto Bogaert Díaz”, República Dominicana.
Shaiana Lick Gonçalves
Faculdade São Leopoldo Mandic (SLM), Medical School, Campinas, Brazil.
Roberto Carmignani Verdade
Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp), Campinas, Brazil.
Ana María Gómez-Jaramillo
Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Centro de Investigación para la Salud en América Latina (CISeAL).
Ricardo Rojas-Humpire
P53 Research Group, Human Medicine School, Peruvian Union University (UPeU), Lima, Peru.
Renata Rocha Vaughan
Laboratório de Neurociências (LIM-27), Instituto de Psiquiatria, Hospital das Clínicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil.
Marcela Ayala
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, PPCR Program, ECPE, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Sally Khalil
Hamad Medical Corporation, Qatar.
Angie Alonso
Department of Neurology, Stroke Division, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, United States.
Azuka Njokanma
Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
Leonardo Spencer de Vasconcellos
Gustavo Polanco
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, PPCR Program, ECPE, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Guisella Araya
Clínica Alemana, Santiago, Chile.
Ghazal Jaamour
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, PPCR Program, ECPE, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Renato Fernandes
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, PPCR Program, ECPE, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Tiago Machado
Faculdade São Leopoldo Mandic (SLM), Medical School, Campinas, Brazil.
Krittamuk Sarakool
Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Moeez Maqbool
Health Service Executive Ireland.
Samreen Shahid
Clinical Associate Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Thelma Aguilar
Clínica Dávila, Santiago, Chile.
Fabiana Rodriguez
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, PPCR Program, ECPE, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Vinicius Vieira Neves
Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, Rhode Island, U.S
Abstract
Introduction: Interest in biological markers of healthy aging has grown, particularly vitamin D (VD) and leukocyte telomere length (LTL). Telomeres shorten with age and are linked to chronic disease, while VD may influence this process through effects on inflammation and oxidative stress. Clarifying the VD–LTL relationship could inform their value as biomarkers of longevity.
Methods: A PRISMA-guided systematic review of observational studies was conducted, searching PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Scopus in April 2025. Eligible studies enrolled adults and reported serum/plasma VD and LTL measured with validated techniques. Risk of bias was appraised using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale.
Results: From 521 records, 32 full texts were assessed and 11 observational studies were included (10 cross-sectional, 1 cohort) spanning Europe, the Americas, and Asia (2007–2023). Vitamin D was measured via CLIA/RIA, ELISA, or LC-MS/MS; leukocyte telomere length predominantly by qPCR (one Southern blot). Findings were heterogeneous: 4 studies reported longer LTL with higher 25(OH)D, 1 showed a U-shaped association (shorter LTL at very low and very high 25(OH)D), and 6 found no significant relationship. Positive signals appeared more often in female or middle-aged subgroups, but variability in exposure/outcome definitions and covariate adjustment limited comparability and precluded meta-analysis. Risk of bias was generally low-to-moderate (2 “very good,” 8 “good,” 1 “unsatisfactory” on NOS).
Discussion: Findings varied across studies. Associations appeared more frequently in female and middle-aged samples, but methodological heterogeneity limits interpretation. Current observational data do not support VD supplementation for telomere preservation.
