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Melatonin- Breast And Prostate Cancer Benefits

3rd April, 2011 - Posted by health news - No Comments

Very first studied within the 60’s, melatonin is actually a natural hormone produced by the pineal gland, a gland within the center of the brain, and whose primary role would be to control the body’s circadian rhythm, an internal program that regulates the cycles of falling asleep and waking.It has been used as a natural sleep aid for many years. Melatonin has proven to be a strong antioxidant. Melatonin is at high levels in childhood and then begins to drop off substantially as we age.

Some people think lower levels of melatonin may well explain why some older adults have sleep problems and tend to go to bed and wake up earlier than when they were younger. Due to the fact of the over wellness rewards that people are now claiming they’re experiencing simply because of Melatonin science is performing small sample tests of the supplement on a number of diseases and illnesses.

There are two specific cancers shown below that Melatonin has been applied to on a small scale and has shown positive results.

Breast Cancer

A number of studies suggest that melatonin levels may well be associated with breast cancer risk. For example, ladies with breast cancer tend to have lower levels of melatonin than those without the disease. Laboratory experiments have discovered that low levels of melatonin stimulate the growth of specific sorts of breast cancer cells, even though adding melatonin to these cells slows their growth.

Preliminary evidence also suggests that melatonin may well strengthen the effects of some chemotherapy drugs employed to treat breast cancer. In a study that included a small number of ladies with breast cancer, melatonin (given 7 days just before beginning chemotherapy) prevented the lowering of platelets within the blood. This really is a widespread complication of chemotherapy that can result in bleeding.

In one more small study of ladies who were taking tamoxifen for breast cancer but seeing no improvement, adding melatonin caused tumors to modestly shrink in additional 28% of the ladies. Girls with breast cancer should ask their doctors just before taking melatonin.

Prostate Cancer

Studies show that people with prostate cancer have lower melatonin levels than men without the disease. In test tube studies, melatonin blocks the growth of prostate cancer cells.

In one small-scale study, melatonin — combined with conventional medical treatment — improved survival rates in 9 out of 14 men with metastatic prostate cancer. Interestingly, given that meditation may well trigger melatonin levels to rise it appears to be a valuable addition to the treatment of prostate cancer. Much more research is needed just before doctors can make recommendations in this location.

Melatonin is being evaluated in a number of other ailments as uncomplicated as sunburn to additional complicated wellness problems like Irritable Bowel, ADHD and Epilepsy. Should you feel you can benefit from a melatonin supplement please be certain and consult having a healthcare expert very first. Prospective Melatonin Side Effects are generally not severe but you should still discuss them together with your doctor.