Melatonin is a hormone secreted by the pineal gland in the brain and because it helps modulate sleep quality, it’s frequently used as a dietary supplement to lessen abnormal sleep patterns (1). However, a recent study suggests that melatonin may also assist in supporting weight management and muscle gain (2).
In the new study, researchers from Denmark evaluated melatonin’s effects on body composition, lipid and glucose metabolism, and hormones in post-menopausal women—a population with particular difficulty building and maintaining muscle (2). The researchers randomized the test subjects and supplemented them nightly with either 1 or 3 milligrams of melatonin or a placebo for 12 months (2).
(Note: The dose of melatonin used in the study is in the same range as found in Isagenix Sleep Support & Renewal™.)
In response to their year-long supplementation of melatonin, the participants’ fat mass decreased by an impressive 7 percent while lean muscle mass increased by 2.6 percent, when compared to the placebo group.
The researchers hypothesized that the improved body composition by melatonin supplementation may have been due to positive influences on body composition and energy metabolic cellular pathways (3).
Additional possibilities included enhanced bone-remodeling proteins, suppression of fat cell formation, and an indirect, stimulatory effect on growth hormone homeostasis (3).
Overall, while melatonin doesn’t directly help build muscle, it does have beneficial effects on body composition most likely due to facilitating a positive hormonal environment that supports better sleep quality and metabolism.
With age, natural melatonin production decreases resulting in reduced sleep duration and inadequate sleep quality (4). Irregular sleep patterns are associated with a wide variety of poor behaviors, such as overeating and other health problems. It’s not surprising that insufficient or poor sleep contributes to fat gain, insulin resistance, and decreased muscle mass (5).
The study highlights one of the many reasons melatonin supplementation could be a key to healthy aging. Melatonin is safe, without any of the unwanted negative side effects on blood lipids, glucose metabolism, or markers of kidney and liver health that might normally be seen with other hormonal substances that have fat-reducing and muscle-building benefits.
References
- Bubenik GA & Konturek SJ. Melatonin and aging: prospects for human treatment. J Physiol Pharmacol. 2011 Feb; 62(1):13-9.
- Amstrup AK, Sikjaer T, Bønløkke Pedersen S, Heickendorff L, Mosekilde L, & Rejnmark L. Reduced fat mass and increased lean mass in response to one year of melatonin treatment in postmenopausal women: A randomized placebo controlled trial. Clin Endocrinol. 2015 Sep 9. [Epub ahead of print]
- Valcavi R, Zini M, Maestroni GJ, Conti A & Portioli I. Melatonin stimulates growth hormone secretion through pathways other than the growth hormone-releasing hormone. Clin Endocrinol. 1993 Aug;39(2):193-9.
- Bubenik GA & Konturek SJ. Melatonin and aging: prospects for human treatment. J Physiol Pharmacol. 2011 Feb; 62(1):13-9.
- Leproult R, Holmbäck U & Van Cauter E. Circadian misalignment augments markers of insulin resistance and inflammation, independently of sleep loss. Diabetes. 2014 Jun; 63(6):1860-9.
