Melatonin Extra

Melatonin, a hormone secreted by the pineal gland at nightfall, is produced less and less with age. Melatonin plays a key role, not only in a person’s sleeping patterns, but also in the process of aging, energy production, immunity, and more, as scientists are discovering.

Melatonin supplements are available as a non-addictive, natural means for promoting deep sleep. A study published in Biologic Psychiatry documented that melatonin taken before bedtime enabled persons with insomnia to sleep for greater lengths of time without compromising alertness during the day and without the negative side effects of chemical sleep aids. Additional research published in Psychopharmacology, showed melatonin helped individuals fall asleep faster, remain asleep longer, and have greater energy levels when they awoke.

Studies conducted at the Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland have successfully used low doses of melatonin to shift participants’ body clocks both forward and backward. This is good news for those required to work changing shifts—being able to adjust sleep schedules will help prevent health problems caused by insufficient sleep.

Circadian dysrhythmia—commonly known as “jet lag”—is often an unpleasant side effect of flying through multiple time zones. Symptoms such as fatigue, disrupted sleep patterns, and the inability to concentrate generally require 24-48 hours to subside, as the body adapts to the local time. Researchers have found melatonin to be quite effective in relieving jet lag. The British Journal of Medicine published a double-blind study in which 10 men and women of different ages received 5mg of melatonin before, during and after a round-trip flight between London, England and Auckland, New Zealand. In contrast to the group given a placebo, those who took melatonin returned to their normal sleeping patterns quicker and had higher levels of energy.

Numerous studies have confirmed melatonin is beneficial to the immune system. Many studies have been conducted on melatonin as a possible benefit for treating breast cancer. Initial studies indicate melatonin arrests the development of breast cancer and causes tumors to deteriorate in laboratory animals. Other tests showed breast cancer cells exposed to melatonin did not multiply. A study documented in In Vitro Cell Development Biology, showed melatonin retarded cancer growth. Interestingly, Japanese women, who have higher levels of melatonin than women from other countries, have a much lower rate of breast cancer. The explanation may lie in the fact that melatonin is routinely found in particular seaweeds consumed in the Japanese diet.

Melatonin supplements may also help men identified as having prostate cancer. A study in the Journal of Neural Transmission reported a link between lower levels of melatonin and the formation of prostate cancer.

Even more intriguing to researchers is the promise melatonin has showed in slowing the aging process. Studies conducted at the Institute of Integrative Bio-Medical Research in Switzerland observed melatonin enabled mice to live what would be the equivalent of an additional 20 human years. Also, many of their age-related symptoms were either deferred or completely reversed. Current research suggests as levels of melatonin decrease, all body systems are affected and begin to function less efficiently, producing the changes generally attributed to aging. The melatonin levels of 25-year-olds are 4 times greater than those of 60-year-olds. In response, Dr. Pierpaoli, director of the melatonin studies conducted at Integrative Biomedical Research, recommends taking melatonin supplements each day after age 60. Furthermore, according to Medical Hypotheses, scientists are researching melatonin as possibly being the primary mechanism responsible for aging changes. Melatonin supplements may be necessary to attain a more youthful endocrine balance and restore the entire body.

Additionally, melatonin has been shown to lower elevated LDL cholesterol levels by 15-30%, according to studies from the Institute of Pathology in Locarno, Switzerland.

Melatonin has also been shown to be helpful in combating depression associated with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder).

Until sufficient research has been conducted, melatonin should not be given to children and pregnant or nursing women.