Melatonin: functional significance for optimal cellular physiology - Prof. Russel Reiter (14/11/19)

[Vince]

Anti-Warburg Effect of Melatonin: A Proposed Mechanism to Explain its Inhibition of Multiple Diseases

Glucose is an essential nutrient for every cell but its metabolic fate depends on cellular phenotype. Normally, the product of cytosolic glycolysis, pyruvate, is transported into mitochondria and irreversibly converted to acetyl coenzyme A by pyruvate ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[HeatherM]

My notes.

Dr. Russell J. Reiter said he’s taken melatonin for 27 years to protect his mitochondria. He thinks that this protection, and other effects of melatonin, are far superior to what it does for sleep. One of the most important things that it does is to detoxify Reactive Oxygen Species. It does this by three possible methods: 1) electron donation, 2) hydrogen atom donation, and 3) radical adduct formation (?). Melatonin is used by the mitochondria to protect us against free radicals because we need ATP.

Melatonin, as well as Vit C and Vit E, are free radical scavengers. Vit C and Vit E can each scavenge one free radical before they have to be recycled. Melatonin donates, biochemically becomes something else, donates, becomes something else, etc. They’ve measured that the whole family line may scavenge 10 free radicals.

As you age, you lose melatonin. Therefore, the older you are, the faster you age, because you’re losing the best mitochondrial protection - melatonin. Those in best health have better-preserved production of melatonin. The higher the melatonin peak you have at night, the better. With age, mitochondria no longer produce melatonin, and that’s why he takes it.

Melatonin can inhibit cancer, and it changes chemo-resistant cancer to chemo-sensitive cancer. Melatonin can also protect against heart attack and stroke. Many types of cancer are inhibited by melatonin, not only breast cancer. Fibromyalgia pain can be treated by melatonin.

He recommends starting to take melatonin 3 mg at about age 45. Some diabetics take 1 gram. He takes 100 mg but says he is very old. I guesstimate his age to be about 85; he got his PhD in 1964.

Recommended sources that are both pure and effective are Source Naturals, Natrol (which he uses), Costco (I think that’s right; the sound was blurry), and NatureMade.

He says that melatonin is not a soporific; it only has a normal circadian sleep effect, enough to open someone’s sleep gate when taken at their right time. Some take it 20 minutes ahead but might make better use of it 2 hours before.

Melatonin is not a hormone; it has antioxidant action. What you take does not interfere with your own metabolism of it. There is no dependence on what you take. If you take it for 5 years and then stop, no problem.

Use red or yellow light in night lights so you can produce melatonin and circadian rhythm as you sleep or if you wake up. He mentioned several times that any white light during the night will turn off melatonin production. Melatonin does not force sleep; it is highest at night even in animals that are active at night. It does what is needed at the time, and that may not be sleep.

When asked about melatonin and depression, he mentioned that one possible mechanism by which melatonin might relieve depression would be via synchronizing circadian rhythm, making it possible for someone who’s depressed to feel normal again.

My notes.

Dr. Russell J. Reiter said he’s taken melatonin for 27 years to protect his mitochondria. He thinks that this protection, and other effects of melatonin, are far superior to what it does for sleep. One of the most important things that it does is to detoxify Reactive Oxygen Species. It does this by three possible methods: 1) electron donation, 2) hydrogen atom donation, and 3) radical adduct formation (?). Melatonin is used by the mitochondria to protect us against free radicals because we need ATP.

Melatonin, as well as Vit C and Vit E, are free radical scavengers. Vit C and Vit E can each scavenge one free radical before they have to be recycled. Melatonin donates, biochemically becomes something else, donates, becomes something else, etc. They’ve measured that the whole family line may scavenge 10 free radicals.

As you age, you lose melatonin. Therefore, the older you are, the faster you age, because you’re losing the best mitochondrial protection - melatonin. Those in best health have better-preserved production of melatonin. The higher the melatonin peak you have at night, the better. With age, mitochondria no longer produce melatonin, and that’s why he takes it.

Melatonin can inhibit cancer, and it changes chemo-resistant cancer to chemo-sensitive cancer. Melatonin can also protect against heart attack and stroke. Many types of cancer are inhibited by melatonin, not only breast cancer. Fibromyalgia pain can be treated by melatonin.

He recommends starting to take melatonin 3 mg at about age 45. Some diabetics take 1 gram. He takes 100 mg but says he is very old. I guesstimate his age to be about 85; he got his PhD in 1964.

Recommended sources that are both pure and effective are Source Naturals, Natrol (which he uses), Costco (I think that’s right; the sound was blurry), and NatureMade.

He says that melatonin is not a soporific; it only has a normal circadian sleep effect, enough to open someone’s sleep gate when taken at their right time. Some take it 20 minutes ahead but might make better use of it 2 hours before.

Melatonin is not a hormone; it has antioxidant action. What you take does not interfere with your own metabolism of it. There is no dependence on what you take. If you take it for 5 years and then stop, no problem.

Use red or yellow light in night lights so you can produce melatonin and circadian rhythm as you sleep or if you wake up. He mentioned several times that any white light during the night will turn off melatonin production. Melatonin does not force sleep; it is highest at night even in animals that are active at night. It does what is needed at the time, and that may not be sleep.

When asked about melatonin and depression, he mentioned that one possible mechanism by which melatonin might relieve depression would be via synchronizing circadian rhythm, making it possible for someone who’s depressed to feel normal again.

In a 2022 interview Dr R said he was 87 and took 80 mg. 3 doses;- 45 mins before bedtime, then 15 mins before, and final dose at bedtime. Start taking it after 40 years at 10 mg.

 

[HeatherM]

Jesus, if this is true my gf is screwed! She takes melatonin every night, luckily fairly low dose, but her progesterone is already really low, and gee thyroid is definitely not optimal, all based on labs, and this was before she started supplementing. So if this is true, her hormones might be even more imbalanced after starting to use melatonin every night. I’m gonna have to look into this

There is conflicting info on the internet, e.g. "Melatonin inhibits the enzymes involved in the synthesis of estrogen, thus leads to lower levels of estrogens. It is thus considered to be a selective estrogen enzyme modulator. In a study on 3,699 post-menopausal women, the results show that those with the highest levels of melatonin (from urine assessment) have a 44% reduced risk of invasive Breast Cancer compared to those with lowest levels. Melatonin is involved in transforming estradiol into its inactive estrogen sulphate/sulfate form.

 

[Guided_by_Voices]

There is conflicting info on the internet, e.g. "Melatonin inhibits the enzymes involved in the synthesis of estrogen, thus leads to lower levels of estrogens. It is thus considered to be a selective estrogen enzyme modulator. In a study on 3,699 post-menopausal women, the results show that those with the highest levels of melatonin (from urine assessment) have a 44% reduced risk of invasive Breast Cancer compared to those with lowest levels. Melatonin is involved in transforming estradiol into its inactive estrogen sulphate/sulfate form.

I had an alarmingly low estrogen reading after a period when the only thing I changed was upping my melatonin. It could have been an anomaly but I cut back and my estrogen is back to normal, so this could be a little-known issues for some people. That said, melatonin is part of the infection fighting system (as is estrogen) and many of the forward-thinking anti-virus protocols (e.g FLCCC) use 30mg or so of melatonin, so bumping it up during an infection likely makes sense.

 

[K.pietera]

Yes I saw all his research and it's verry interesting , i use melatonin mysellf for about 3 years now and I played a bit with dosage's and different method's.







For mysellf everyime I used a higher dosage ( +3mg up to 8mg) i wake up afther 3 -5hours asleep and can't sleep afther that. I don't get it how so many people can take +10,+20 or higher mg's and stay asleep on it...



My personal use is below 1 mg , sublingual. That works fine and I still wake up in the night but not that problematic...



I use the fast acting type because Ive tried the time released and that was even worse

Sleep is one of the most difficult things to fine tune for me personally. I Would love to hear your findings about it.

Have a great day y'all

 

[LarryP]

If I take more than 3mg at night I get terrible nightmares.

 

[K.pietera]

If I take more than 3mg at night I get terrible nightmares.

I hear that a lot , you and me are not the only one where melatonin has some Bad sides at a 'higher' dosage. I wonder why that is ..

 

[K.pietera]

I just left my lipidologist office. I'm at the golf course, so I only have a second. The melatonin worked, I just had my best Labs ever.



I was taking 100 mg of melatonin daily.

So does melatonin raise HDL ?

 

[Sergel]

Been taking melatonin for a few years, mostly for anti-aging and digestive health (reflux) ... It does promote vivid dreams for me, but I enjoy that, I find it entertaining...

I currently take 3mg, bue have been up to 15... one of my observation is that it affected my libido... libido went down in a dose dependent relationship... however, so many other factors in my TRT dosages were off so I don't know if there is a direct relationship.

I have noticed a positive effect on digestive health though. Our digestive system produces and uses a lot of melatonin...

I don't know why there are so many health professionals that are against it....

 

[Vince]

I have increased my melatonin to 200 mg nightly. It's been almost 2 years now since I started high dose melatonin. I found capsules on Amazon containing 60 mg, they should be coming January 13th and I will increase my dose to 240 mg nightly. I did originally spread it out during the day, I changed that to nightly. I have not seen any change in my estrogen levels. It was one of my concerns. Also. I was afraid it may prevent me from sleeping, it has not caused any issues with my sleep.

 

[K.pietera]

Been taking melatonin for a few years, mostly for anti-aging and digestive health (reflux) ... It does promote vivid dreams for me, but I enjoy that, I find it entertaining...



I currently take 3mg, bue have been up to 15... one of my observation is that it affected my libido... libido went down in a dose dependent relationship... however, so many other factors in my TRT dosages were off so I don't know if there is a direct relationship.



I have noticed a positive effect on digestive health though. Our digestive system produces and uses a lot of melatonin...



I don't know why there are so many health professionals that are against it....

What type do you take ? , for me no libido loss and that's the first thing I ever hear about it , prob due your TRT protocol I guess

 

[Sergel]

I guess was more TRT than melatonin for my libido... I have since adjusted my T lower and have better libido... Actually, my libido is great only in a very narrow range of T ... took me a while to find it and still refining it.

I take natural factors ... I think I am going to go up to 5mg tonight after reading this... I took 5mg for at least a year...

 

[drkelp]

I'm with K.pietera, Used to work but now, .75mg TR always puts me to sleep just to wake in a few hours. But I'm prone to that anyhow and have been for years. Also feel pretty dazed the next day like 1st gen antihistamines. Tryptophan+theanine has been my most reasonable solution to middle of night wakings

 

[Sergel]

Well, I must say that I see no drowsiness at all from Melatonin, I could take it any time and would not make me sleepy... so with or without not much difference sleepwise. I wake up every 3 hours anyway, with or without... and go back to sleep easily. Only thing sleep related I notice is with higher doses I will have more vivid dreams, seems to push me to more rem sleep... Will do more reading for sure on the subject... I think it is an understated supplement...

 

[Nelson Vergel]

(305) Impact of Melatonin Supplementation on Testosterone Levels in U.S. Adult Men

AbstractIntroduction. Among US adults, the prevalence of melatonin supplement consumption significantly increased in the last two decades across all demographic

academic.oup.com

 

[LarryP]

for me a dose above 3mg produces nightmares.

 

[Vince]

Effect of Melatonin Administration on Mitochondrial Activity and Oxidative Stress Markers in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease

Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress are extensively linked to Parkinson’s disease (PD) pathogenesis. Melatonin is a pleiotropic molecule with antioxidant and neuroprotective effects. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of melatonin on oxidative stress markers...

www.hindawi.com