The Consumer Guide to Melatonin
In This Guide... Melatonin is a key metabolic hormone produced by most living creatures, that has been extensively researched for the past 30 years. Melatonin is manufactured in the pineal gland, retina, and intestines. The pineal gland uses it to communicate with cells throughout the body. Its full chemical name is N-acetyl-5-methoxy-tryptamine.
Benefits and Uses: In humans, melatonin appears to perform a wide variety of critical functions:
Melatonin has gained its greatest fame as a safe, natural sleep aid that appears to be as effective as sleeping pills, with few adverse side effects.5 And, studies involving airline crews suggest that when taken the first night after landing, melatonin can reduce "jet lag," which is caused by crossing time zones.
Daily requirement: There is no known requirement for dietary melatonin.
Food sources: the body makes melatonin from the key neurotransmitter known as serotonin, which the body makes from the common dietary amino acid tryptophan.
Optimal Intake: Research indicates that 0.5 to 5 mg, taken one to two hours before bedtime, works well for most cases of insomnia or jet lag.
Safety: No lethal dose has been found for lab rodents, and human volunteers given megadoses (6,000 mg) report nothing worse than mild stomach upset, vivid dreams, or morning grogginess. Nevertheless, experts advise against taking this fundamental metabolic factor without first notifying your physician.
Benefits and Uses
Daily Requirements
Food Sources
Optimal Intake
Safety
References
Browse Our Wide Selection Of Melatonin Products
Much of the research into melatonin’s beneficial effects on aging and immunity has been conducted on rodents. But preliminary human studies on halting insomnia, preventing unwanted pregnancy, and slowing metastatic lung cancer have produced positive results.
- Dahlitz, et al, Delayed sleep phase syndrome response to melatonin. Lancet 337: 1121-24, 1991.
- Ferrini-Strambi et al. Effects of melatonin on sleep microstructure: preliminary results in healthy subjects. Sleep 16:744-7, 1993.
- MacFarlane, et al. The effects of exogenous melatonin on the total sleep time and daytime alertness of chronic insomniacs: a preliminary study. Biological Psychiatry 30:371-376, 1991.
- Hardeland, Reiter, et al. The significance of the metabolism of the neurohormone melatonin: antioxidative protection and formation of bioactive substances. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews 17:347-357, 1993.
- Voordurow, et al., Melatonin and melatonin-progestin combinations alter pituitary-ovarian function in women and can inhibit ovulation. J Clinical Endrocrine Metabolism 74:108-17, 1992.
- Waldhauser, et al., Alterations in nocturnal melatonin serum levels in humans with growth and aging. J Clinical Endocrine Metabolism 66:648-652, 1988.
- Lesnikov, Pierpaoli, et al., Pineal cross-transplantation as evidence for an endogenous "aging clock." Annals NY Academy of Sciences 719:456-460, 1994.
- Morrey, et al., Activation of human monocytes by the pineal hormone melatonin. Journal of Immunology 153:2671-80, 1994.
Maestroni, G. The immunoendocrine role of melatonin. J Pineal Res 14:1-10, 1993 - Waldhauser, et al., Sleep laboratory investigations on hypnotic properties of melatonin. Psychopharmacology 100:222-6, 1990.
- Barchas, et al. Acute pharmacology of melatonin. Nature 214:919-920, 1967.
- Hill S, Glask D. Effect of the pineal hormone melatonin on the proliferation and morphological characteristics of human breast cancer cells. (MCF7) in culture. Cancer Research 48:6121-6126, 1998.
- Lissoni P et al. Clinical results with the pineal hormone melatonin in advanced cancer resistant to standard antitumor therapies. 48:448-450, 1991.
- Sandyk R et al. Is postmenopausal osteoporosis related to pineal gland functions? Internat J Neurosci 62:215-25, 1992.
Browse Our Wide Selection Of Melatonin Products