Does melatonin cause weight gain? The short answer is no. In fact, melatonin may well do the opposite. Melatonin is an incredibly important hormone that all human bodies produce so that we can sleep.
The research findings suggest that melatonin has a beneficial effect on body composition and fat oxidation (burning). Supplementing with melatonin for 12 months could help reduce body fat, increase lean mass, and increase levels of adiponectin (which improves fat burning).
Regardless of whether it truly helps with sleep or not, Dr. Ramkissoon doesn't recommend taking melatonin long-term.
The mechanism of melatonin-induced facial swelling remains to be determined. However, drug-induced angioedema associated with facial swelling has the potential to progress to laryngeal edema and airway obstruction. Therefore, patients experiencing these symptoms should discontinue melatonin therapy.
The most common melatonin side effects include: Headache. Dizziness. Nausea.
Melatonin penetrates the skin and activates the synthesis of antioxidant enzymes. These antioxidant enzymes work to block free radicals and therefore repair oxidative damage to the skin. This means melatonin is a major skin protectant, from free radical scavenging to DNA damage repair.
In the UK and most of Europe, it's classed as a medicine, not a health supplement and as such, requires a prescription. This is because melatonin is considered “medical by function” which means that it requires a drug licence.
Do not use melatonin if you are pregnant or breastfeeding or have an autoimmune disorder, a seizure disorder or depression. Talk to your health care provider if you have diabetes or high blood pressure.
What are the health benefits of taking melatonin? Melatonin supplements may help with certain conditions, such as jet lag, delayed sleep-wake phase disorder, some sleep disorders in children, and anxiety before and after surgery.
If you've been researching the effects of melatonin, you may have stumbled across speculation that taking the supplement for too long could cause your natural melatonin production to go down. However, there's no proof that this is the case. “Your body is naturally dependent on melatonin already,” explains Dr. Horvat.
Other sleep aids such as zolpidem (Ambien) or eszopiclone (Lunesta) have not been linked to weight gain.
Instead, choose casein protein if you want to boost your overnight fat burning. Casein is a gradually digested protein that can take your body around six to eight hours to break down. This means your metabolism will be kept active throughout the night, and you'll wake up feeling energetic instead of starving.
What are the bodybuilding and fitness benefits of melatonin? From an athletic standpoint, melatonin's role as a sleep aid and antioxidant may speed exercise recovery and help you rack up greater training volume for better long-term gains.
Melatonin is not addictive, according to sleep experts and psychologists. There is no evidence that you can become physically dependent on the supplement, and you typically won't develop withdrawal symptoms if you stop taking it.
Furthermore melatonin has been shown to have valuable effects on cardiovascular health, blood pressure, and endothelial function and it might benefit patients with heart failure.
In several clinical trials, melatonin was found to be well tolerated and not associated with serum enzyme elevations or evidence of liver injury. Despite wide scale use, melatonin has not been convincingly linked to instances of clinically apparent liver injury.
Melatonin can currently only be used as an active ingredient for biologicals, export only and prescription medicines and homeopathic formulation in Australia. It is freely sold as a food supplement in USA, Europe and other countries across the globe.
French authorities are urging certain populations to avoid consuming food supplements containing melatonin after incidences of adverse effects were reported to the country's nutrivigilance scheme.
- In the UK, the Medicines Control Agency has banned the high-street sale of melatonin after it was decided the compound was "medicinal by function," and as such requires a drug license. The MCA has written to all relevant suppliers, which comprise mainly health food shops, ordering them to stop selling the product.
Research shows that melatonin improves several aspects of memory and increases formation of new brain cells. Patients with Alzheimer's have lower melatonin levels than healthy individuals of the same age. Increasing melatonin levels may help protect against worsening of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
“In studies on topical melatonin, it has been demonstrated to potentially increase or prolong the growth phase of human hair follicles,” said Dr. Ilyas.