Vince
Super Moderator
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.
