Research now shows that melatonin may increase metabolism and improve our ability to lose weight. Melatonin fights fat in two major ways: it has the ability to assist in turning fat into energy rather than storing it and it improves thermogenic capacity of the mitochondria.
Melatonin is a powerful chronobiotic being responsible, in part, by the daily distribution of metabolic processes so that the activity/feeding phase of the day is associated with high insulin sensitivity, and the rest/fasting is synchronized to the insulin-resistant metabolic phase of the day.
Regardless of whether it truly helps with sleep or not, Dr. Ramkissoon doesn't recommend taking melatonin long-term.
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).
Melatonin is not associated with weight gain.
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.
A 2017 review stated that low doses of melatonin accelerate intestinal transit time, which is the time food takes to travel through the intestines. However, high doses of melatonin may decrease gut motility, which refers to the movement of food through the digestive system.
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.
This shows that an increase in the melatonin levels leads to a subsequent decrease in energy levels.
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.
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.
Even though melatonin is usually safe for most people to take short-term, talk to your health care provider if you are considering taking it daily for sleep issues. Also, if sleep troubles are starting to affect your daily life, talk to your doctor about your symptoms and potential treatment options.
Because melatonin is a hormone, it's possible that melatonin supplements could affect hormonal development, including puberty, menstrual cycles, and overproduction of the hormone prolactin, but we don't know for sure.
[48, 49], melatonin reduces the synthesis of biologically active estrogens through the regulation of the activity of different enzymes involved in the synthesis of steroid hormones on the epithelial mammary cells.
The effects of melatonin on insulin secretion are mediated through the melatonin receptors (MT1 and MT2). It decreases insulin secretion by inhibiting cAMP and cGMP pathways but activates the phospholipaseC/IP3 pathway, which mobilizes Ca2+from organelles and, consequently increases insulin secretion.
It is normal to lose weight overnight, meaning that your weight in the morning will often be lower than your weight in the evening. The amount of weight you lose overnight will depend on how much you sweat at night and how dehydrated you are in the morning.
Late night dinner and snacking up can slow down our digestion process and cause high blood sugar levels. This in turn causes bloating and an increase in abdominal fat. Therefore, to wake up feeling replenished and with a slim tummy, avoid eating late or munching on unnecessary foods.
The possible dangers of using melatonin long-term
As with many hormones in our bodies, having too much or too little melatonin in your system long term can cause health concerns. The problem when taking a melatonin supplement is that since it's not a drug, there's no oversight or regulation by the FDA.
indicated that melatonin action is mediated by CCK2 and 5-HT3 receptors and delay of gastric emptying. From this study appears that exogenous melatonin inhibits gastric motility in part by activating sympathetic neurons as well.
Melatonin might act on the adrenal glands as an endogenous pacemaker. Glucocorticoids levels are low after the onset of darkness and rise after the middle of the night concomitantly with a decrease in melatonin levels. This is consistent with an inhibitory effect of melatonin through MT1 on glucocorticoid production.
The NDPSC considered that insufficient information was available on the safety of melatonin to allow it to remain exempt from scheduling for human therapeutic use and that it should not be available without prescription.
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.
OTC melatonin has been banned for years in the United Kingdom (UK), European Union, Japan, Australia and most recently Canada. Exogenous melatonin is not outlawed by these countries but regarded as a medicine, available only by prescription.