Melatonin in the Promotion of Health

Melatonin is a powerful hormone and antioxidant with numerous effects on the metabolism and the health of humans. Available as a dietary supplement in the United States since 1993, it is one of the most popular over-the-counter alternative remedies available. Comprising contributions from researchers who have studied the role of melatonin in various disease and physiological states, Melatonin in the Promotion of Health, Second Edition provides a wide variety of expert reviews on the biology of melatonin relevant to health.

Beginning with a history of melatonin and its relation to circadian rhythms, the book examines its use in a host of applications, including:



Gut motility and gastrointestinal diseases
Anesthesia and surgery
Bone health
Breast cancer
Cardiovascular diseases
Diabetes
Age-related macular degeneration and uveitis
Melanoma, solar skin damage, and collagen synthesis
The prevention of DNA damage
Mental disorders, sleep, and issues related to jet lag and shift work


The data gathered from a large number of carefully controlled animal and human studies have clearly implicated melatonin in the control mechanisms of a wide variety of physiological and psychological activities, making it a potent candidate for therapeutic use in the treatment of a diverse range of diseases. This volume demonstrates that continued studies of this molecule raise the exciting prospect of providing new avenues of treating numerous diseases more effectively and with less side-effects than those found in conventional treatment modalities.

Ronald R. Watson, PhD, is a member of several national and international nutrition, immunology, cancer, and alcoholism research societies. For 30 years he was funded by Wallace Research Foundation to study dietary supplements in health promotion. Dr. Watson has edited more than 35 books on nutrition, dietary supplements, and over-the-counter agents, and 53 other scientific books. He has published more than 500 research and review articles.

Melatonin Time Line: From Discovery to Therapy; I. Chowdhury and S. K. MaitraMelatonin and Circadian Rhythms: An Overview; G. C. VersterSynthesis and Metabolism of Melatonin in the Skin and Retinal Pigment Epithelium; Radomir Slominski and Andrzej SlominskiMelatonin in Prevention of Mutagenesis, Oxidation, and Other Damage to Cells; Theodore LialiarisCardiovascular Protection by Melatonin; Rita RezzaniMelatonin Effect on Reproduction; Maria P. Tsantarliotou and Ioannis A. TaitzoglouMelatonin and the Prevention of Ultraviolet Solar Skin Damage; Tobias W. FischerMelatonin and Type 2 Diabetes; Andreas Gunter Bach and Elmar PeschkeMelatonin, Sleep, and Immune Modulation: Role in Health and Disease; Daniel P. CardinaliMelatonin as a Treatment for Uveitis; Ruth E. Rosenstein, Pablo H. Sande, Diego C. Fernandez, Mónica Chianelli, and Daniel A. SáenzRole of Melatonin in Regulating Gut Motility; Jennie Wong and Khek-Yu HoMelatonin and Food Safety: Investigating a Possible Role in the Seasonality of the Bacterial Pathogen Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Cattle; Tom S. Edrington and David J. NisbetMelatonin in Dentistry; Luigi F. Rodella, Mauro Labanca, and Eleonora FoglioMelatonin as a Potential Treatment of Gastrointestinal Diseases; George A. BubenikThe Uses of Melatonin in Anesthesia and Surgery; Hany A. Mowafi and Salah A. IsmailMelatonin in Bone Health; Paula A. Witt-Enderby, William P. Clafshenkel, Mary P. Kotlarczyk, and Shalini SethiPrevention and Treatment of Breast Cancer Using Melatonin; Vicki L. Davis, Balasunder R. Dodda, and Paula A. Witt-EnderbyMolecular and Epigenetic Effects of Melatonin in Breast Cancer; S. Proietti, A. Cucina, S. Dinicola, A. Pasqualato, F. D’Anselmi, and M. BizzarriMelatonin in Mental Disorders: Treatment and Prevention; Maria D. Maldonado and Maria A. Pérez-San-GregorioMelatonin in Control of Gastric Secretion and Prevention of Gastric Mucosal Lesions; Peter C. Konturek, Iwona Brzozowska, Krzysztof Celinski, Stanislaw J. Konturek, and Tomasz BrzozowskiMelatonin for the Control of Reproduction in Small Ruminants; L. A. Zarazaga, J. L. Guzmán, and B. MalpauxMelatonin in the Pancreatic Protection and Modulation of Pancreatic Exocrine Secretion; Jolanta JaworekLife Environment and Sleep: Melatonin Production Affected by Light and Ambient Temperature in Humans; Masayuki Kondo and Tomoko WakamuraDecreased Light Transmittance Because of Aging and Melatonin; Takeshi MoritaMelatonin and Treatment of Disorders Related to Jet Lag and Shift Work; Gregory M. Brown, Seithikurippu R. Pandi- Perumal, Ilya Trakht, D. Warren Spence, Daniel P. Cardinali, and Alexander SamelMelatonin and Its Byproducts on Age-Related Macular Degeneration; Dan-Ning Hu, Joan E. Roberts, and Richard B. Rosen Melatonin and Melanoma; Dan-Ning Hu, Joan E. Roberts, and Allan F. WiechmannMelatonin and Inflammation—The Role of the Immune–Pineal Axis and the Sympathetic Tonus; Pedro A. Fernandes, and Regina P. MarkusNeuroendocrinological Effects of Antidepressants: Is There a Role for Melatonin?; Marco Antonioli, Joanna Rybka, and Livia A. CarvalhoRole of Melatonin in Collagen Synthesis; John Tidwell and Ming PeiMelatonin and DNA Protection; Luis Sarabia, Carlos Ponce, Maria Jose Munuce, and Hector RodriguezMelatonin Modulation of Vascular Structure and Function; Mustafa YildizMelatonin and Sleep Disturbances in Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease; Birgit Koch, Marije Russcher, and Elsbeth NagtegaalMelatonin and Traumatic Stress; Petr BobMeasurement of Melatonin in Other Body Fluids; Soyhan BağcıCell Studies with Melatonin Exposed to UV Light and Ionizing Radiation; Ilona Izykowska, Marek Cegielski, and Piotr DziegielMelatonin and Oxidation; V. Haktan Ozacmak