GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
Melatonin, a hormone made by the pineal gland, affects many organs including the thymus, the
pituitary, and the hypothalamus. Melatonin plays a major
role in setting the body’s internal clock. Blind people use
melatonin to improve their ability to sleep and to
regulate their circadian cycle. It is also used to combat jet lag. Studies on mice suggest that
melatonin may play an important role in increasing
lifespan.
ROLE FOR ANTI-AGING:
Melatonin’s anti-aging benefits may include
improved sleep rhythms, improved strength of the immune system, more positive response to
stress and enhanced wellbeing. A 1987 study conducted by
Walter Pierpaoli, M.D. and George J. M. Maestroni,
M.D. found that mice who received melatonin in their drinking water at night lived 20% longer
than untreated mice. Studies show that the effects of
melatonin depend greatly on the age of the patient and the
timing of the dosage in the sleep-wake cycle. A study published by the British Journal of Cancer in
2001 revealed that the incidence of breast cancer in women
who had become blind before the age of 65 was 49% lower than
that in normally sighted women. Researchers believe that these findings are proof that high levels of melatonin help to protect against breast
cancer. More recently, results of a study in chickens found
that those given a daily dose of melatonin had higher white
blood cell (WBC) counts and showed significantly
higher T- and B-lymphocyte proliferation. Thus suggesting that melatonin strengthens the immune
system by increasing the number of circulating WBC’s and
boosting the activity of both B and T-cells.
DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS:
Insomnia and/or frequent waking are symptoms
of melatonin deficiency.
THERAPEUTIC DAILY AMOUNT:
Melatonin is widely available in drug-store
chains in both capsules and in slow-release preparations. Therapeutic doses range from 0.5-5mg
per day.
MAXIMUM SAFE LEVEL:
A safety study carried out in 2000 found that
a dose of 10 mg of melatonin daily produced no toxic effects when given to 40 healthy males for a
period of 28 days. However, this does not mean that a
similar dose of the hormone is safe for chronic
use.
SIDE EFFECTS/CONTRAINDICATIONS:
Melatonin causes sleepiness, so it should be
taken only at bedtime. At higher doses, however,
it may cause increases in depression and
psychosis in patients already suffering from them. Women
seeking to become pregnant, women already pregnant,
children, people suffering from cancer, Hodgkin’s disease,
leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma
should not take melatonin supplements.
It is advised that patients with prostate cancer do not take more than 3 mg of
melatonin per night.
